A Skilene-Filled September
by GrandOldPenguin
Summary: If Skipper and Marlene really do like each other, what would "the moment" that they finally confess their feelings be like? Each day in September 2010, I wrote one possible scenario for the beginning of their relationship. Further details inside.
1. Save the Last Dance for Me

**An important message on how to read the stories of this project:**

For a while now, I have been a fan of the "Skilene" concept, which, of course, pairs together the characters of Skipper and Marlene. However, my personal style as a fan fiction writer has been to never write stories that directly set the two up together, and to instead portray Skipper and Marlene as really close friends who upon occasion just "hint" at the possibility of something more. I have always done so for three principal reasons: first, to keep my writing more in line with canon; second, to give readers the ability to draw their own conclusions; and third, in order to maintain a degree of "personal continuity" among all of my stories, ensuring that nothing I write conflicts with something else I've written. Consequently, no matter how much I may believe that Skipper loves Marlene, putting the words "I love you" in his mouth has never been an option for me. Until now.

No, I have not decided to abandon my precedented writing style; I still believe that Skilene must first have a strong friendship at its foundation. I have, however, decided to exempt this project from my self-imposed limitations on direct Skilene material and continuity. Here's how this project will be run:

If you are a fan of Skilene, have you ever wondered just exactly how Skipper and Marlene would fall in love? Each day during the month of September 2010, I will write and publish one short story outlining one possibility of how the two could theoretically get together. In total, there will be 30 of these fictional scenarios in this project, but they will all be independent of each other and of any other thing I have ever written or ever will write. In other words, each story is just one _idea_ of how Skipper and Marlene _could have_ gotten together – no one scenario is held to a greater or lesser level of truth or fictional validity. Unlike with my two drabble projects, there are no restrictions on the number of words I can use in each story, but they still must be written on the date I present them as. (I may still think of ideas ahead of time, as long as I don't write any of the actual stories beforehand.) I will also be publishing each story as an individual chapter and will, unless there are situations preventing me from doing so, publish a new chapter each day for the 30 days of this project.

The first scenario, "Save the Last Dance for Me," can be found below. I hope that you enjoy it and will enjoy a September filled with Skilene along with me.

-_GrandOldPenguin_

* * *

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 1: "Save the Last Dance for Me"  
****Wednesday, September 1, 2010**

Marlene was taking a nighttime stroll through the zoo one evening when an odd display suddenly caught her attention. The peculiar sight was something she had never seen before, and not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she was observing, she stood off in the distance as she looked on bewildered.

"My, my, Skipper, I never knew you had it in you," Marlene whispered to herself as she watched Skipper dancing back and fourth, appearing to shuffle to a beat that couldn't be heard, as the lemurs, baboons, and other penguins surrounded him.

Then suddenly, Skipper shifted from grooving solo to some sort of strange routine with Julien, which involved Skipper seemingly using his talent to attack the lemur.

"A little violent for my taste," Marlene then commented as Skipper began spinning on his head and kicking Julien in the face with his feet, "but I'm still impressed."

Not long after, Marlene watched whatever dance performance she had just seen come to an end. It was becoming late, so she thought it best to then return to her habitat for the night.

When she arrived, Marlene sat and thought about what she had seen for a short while. She was quite impressed at the degree of her friend's hidden talent, and wanted to tell him how awestruck she had become by it. She smiled when she decided she would do just that the next morning, then got up to prepare to get ready for bed.

At around 11 a.m. the next morning, Marlene strolled over to the penguins' HQ in hopes of talking to Skipper about his dancing skills. Upon arrival, she found him alone at the table stamping file folders with a big red "CLASSIFIED" stamp.

"Say, Skipper," she said as she walked up to him, "I hope I'm not interrupting something important, but could I ask you about something?"

"No, you can't ask what's inside these folders," Skipper replied.

"Um, yeah," Marlene responded as she rolled her eyes. "Actually, I came to ask you about all that dancing you were doing last night. Why have you never–"

"You saw all that, Marlene?" Skipper inquired. "Well, first of all, it wasn't the real me doing all that nonsense. You should know that I was temporarily the victim of some of Darla's magic, though I would describe it more as a _curse_."

"Skipper, I know you believe in some pretty far-out conspiracies, but surely you must know that magic isn't real," Marlene responded.

"Is too!" Skipper declared. "Mad at Ring-tail, Darla used her witchcraft – I mean _magic_ – to take away his groove, and it accidentally ended up inside of me until I used the skills to force Julien into apologizing to her so the 'groove' would move back into him. But I am happy to say that I'm now 100 percent cured of that nightmare."

"Well, that's a shame," Marlene sighed. "I was going to compliment you on your talent. I was even thinking about asking you if you would– Oh, forget it."

Skipper sensed that Marlene was quite disappointed, so he reached over and put a flipper on her back.

"Go ahead, Marlene," he said. "You can still ask me what you wanted to."

Marlene smiled a little, then nervously proceeded with her question.

"I … was wondering, … might you be willing … to dance with … me?" she asked.

"Wait, with _me_?" Skipper asked. "Just because you saw me dancing last night?"

"Well, that's not the only reason," Marlene answered. "I actually like you a little, too."

Skipper was speechless.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Marlene apologized after a few moments went by. "I just–"

But before she could finish her sentence, Skipper pulled her by the paw to the middle of the room, smiled, and began to slowly dance a few steps with the otter.

"Is this anything like how you pictured it?" Skipper asked after they had danced for a minute.

"No, Skipper, it's better than I could have ever imagined," Marlene replied. "But what about the magic?"

"Who needs magic when I have you," Skipper replied.

* * *

Well, that's one down and 29 more to go. Some stories will probably be shorter than this, while others may be longer. I thank you for reading my first installment. See you tomorrow!

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 1, 2010


	2. Dating Practice

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 2: "Dating Practice"  
****Thursday, September 2, 2010**

Just shy of nine months since she had gone on that infamous date with Fred, Marlene chuckled to herself as she recalled the whole escapade. She found it funny that she had found him funny, only to learn too soon that her "Bobo" was just a run-of-the-mill buffoon. In fact, she had all but sworn off dating ever again the very next day.

But could she truly hold out on dating again forever? Marlene soon pondered such a question.

"_Forever_ certainly is an awfully long time," she then thought to herself. "Maybe I could go on a date again someday, but it's really going to take someone special for me to even consider it."

But then she had another thought.

"But what would I even do on a date?" she wondered. "Fred was the only one I ever went out with, and being with him didn't really help me get any dating experience. If only I had some way to practice for the future so I would know how to handle myself."

She then sat for a few moments to reflect, beginning to regret even bring up the whole thought of dating again. But it struck her after a while that maybe she could convince one of her friends to go on a mock date with her so that she might be better prepared to handle another real date someday. But who could she get to help her?

"Forget Julien, I don't want him to think I'm 'hopelessly in love' with him again," she said to herself. "I need the complete opposite of that – I think I need Skipper."

Marlene then left her habitat to go to see Skipper to see if he would be willing to take part in her practice session. She knew that he would be tough to convince, but he was the only one she could really trust for something as personal as this.

When she reached the penguin enclosure, Marlene jumped into the air and tumbled down in the middle of the habitat's platform. She landed firmly on her feet – she always did – and found Skipper there peering through a pair of binoculars. He put them down as he approached Marlene.

"So, Marlene, what do you need my help on today?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Wait, how did you know I wanted something?" Marlene asked.

"Call it a hunch, my gut, or an eighth sense," Skipper replied.

"Um, don't you mean _sixth sense_?" Marlene wondered.

"No, I meant eighth," Skipper replied. "My sixth and seventh senses are classified. But anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could do a special favor for me," Marlene replied. "You see, someday I might like to go on a date again, but I'm nervous about what exactly to do on one. Going out with Fred didn't really help prepare me for the future, so I'm afraid that I might not do or say the right things if I ever went on a date again. So I was hoping you could help me practice."

"Practice how?" Skipper wondered.

"By taking me out on a mock date so that I could gain experience without the pressure," Marlene replied. "If I do this with you and make a fool of myself, at least I wouldn't be doing it in front of a guy I'm trying to impress."

"So you're asking me, probably the least qualified guy in this zoo on the whole 'relationship' subject, to help you?" Skipper asked. "Why?"

"Because I know you the best and trust you the most," she replied. "Trust me, for something like this, I'd much rather have someone I feel safe around be the one to assist me. Someone who'd be honest and not in it for themselves."

"Well, I suppose I could help you, as long as you realize that I'm not dating you for real," Skipper stated. "So, what's next?"

"Come to my habitat tonight for diner," Marlene replied. "We'll pretend that you've taken me to a big expensive restaurant."

"Very well," Skipper said. "I'll be there."

And with that, Marlene thanked Skipper and then left to go prepare for later that day.

At 1800 hours that evening, Skipper left the HQ to go over to Marlene's habitat for their mock date. He stopped briefly along the way to pluck a few flowers to present to her, then continued waddling along to see Marlene.

"These are for you, dollface," he said as he presented the flowers to Marlene. "I'm not sure what they are, though."

"They're dandelions, Skipper," Marlene replied as she led him in. "But it's the thought that counts."

"Anything to make this whole scenario more realistic for you," Skipper said, briefly breaking the character of Marlene's supposed "date."

The two then approached the table to begin their mock date together, hoping to give Marlene the confidence she needed to someday go on a real one again. Before Marlene went to sit down, Skipper pulled her chair out for her – a true gentleman.

As they soon got down to eating a delicious tuna casserole, Skipper and Marlene began talking with ease. They laughed together. And Marlene felt encouraged by the way she made Skipper smile; he was truly playing the role of a date better than any Oscar-winning dramatic actor ever could.

Little did she know that Skipper had stopped acting five minutes into the date.

Time passed quickly that evening. Before they knew it, it was already 2200. And Skipper had early training the next morning.

"You know, Skipper, this evening with you turned out to be far greater than I could have ever imagined," Marlene said, meaning every word from her heart. "And we're getting along so well and getting to know each other so well that I'm actually–"

But Marlene couldn't finish her sentence. She wasn't sure how Skipper might take it.

But Skipper smiled, knowing full well what Marlene was going to say. In fact, he finished Marlene's sentence for her.

"… sad that this wonderful evening together is coming to an end," Skipper said.

Marlene smiled. And blushed.

"Actually, I'm sad that this is just a mock date," Marlene said.

"I hear you," Skipper replied. "So I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to have a real one."


	3. Do You Take This Otter?

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 3: "Do You Take This Otter?"  
****Friday, September 3, 2010**

It was the biggest event taking place at the zoo in years, and all the animals wanted to bear witness to it. On a day that the zoo was closed for repairs, a crowd of animals gathered inside and outside of the zoovenir shop to watch the ceremony: Antonio and Marlene were getting married.

At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the event got underway as Marlene walked through the zoovenir shop's main entrance and began her procession down the aisle, escorted by Maurice. As Kowalski played "Here Comes the Bride" on a pipe organ commandeered for the occasion, Marlene greeted her friends sitting in the makeshift pews as she continued her slow stroll to the front of the room.

When she reached the section where Skipper was sitting, she was a bit perplexed at the way he looked and was acting. He was sitting there clenching his flippers and fidgeting around in his seat, not to mention that his color was a little bit off. For a bird with a white face, Skipper looked awfully pale.

Concerned, Marlene whispered over to him, "Skipper, is everything OK?"

"Sure is, Marlene," Skipper replied.

He lied.

"Well, just checking," Marlene smiled as she continued along. "And thanks for coming, Skipper."

A short few moments later, Marlene reached her destination beside Antonio. The actual ceremony soon got underway, which, despite Julien's constant pleading to be the one to officiate, the couple had decided would be presided over by Roger.

The ceremony then proceeded forth like any typical church wedding service; once all the songs were sung and all the Bible verses were read, it was time to get down to the vows.

"Come on, Roger, will you get this over with already," Skipper muttered quietly to himself as his discomfort began to peak. "Be quick, man, like taking a Band-Aid off."

"Now do you, Antonio, take this otter to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" Roger then asked.

"I do," the groom responded.

Had he any teeth, Skipper would have begun to grind them. Instead, he bit down hard on his tongue to try to take the attention off of what was about to happen – and to defer its pain.

"And do you, Marlene, take this otter to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" the alligator then asked of the bride.

"I do," Marlene declared.

Skipper's heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. Maybe six.

"Then in that case, if there is anyone present who has reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," Roger spoke to the crowd.

Skipper's heart then began to race. It was now or never.

"I object!" he stood up and announced.

The crowd collectively gasped as the otter couple turned to face their objector.

Skipper then looked Marlene straight in the eye.

"Marlene, I'm sorry," he spoke sincerely as he held back a few tears. "But there's something that I need to tell you that I've put off for far too long, and if not now, I'll never get the chance. Please, Marlene, come with me for just five minutes alone. If you'd ever do something for me, do this."

Marlene had no idea what Skipper wanted, but after all he had done for her over the years, honoring his request was something she felt she had to do.

"I'll be right back," she turned to Antonio and said before she began to walk over to Skipper.

Once she got over to him, Skipper led her out of a side exit, and the two then went over to a park bench where they couldn't be seen by others. Skipper then began to tell Marlene exactly what was on his mind.

"What I just did in the zoovenir shop was wrong, and I'm truly sorry for causing you and Antonio any embarrassment," Skipper said. "But a dream of mine was about to be shattered, and I couldn't let it happen until I told you the truth."

Skipper then wiped a tear with a flipper before placing it on Marlene's shoulder.

"I love you, Marlene," he said, the words coming more from his heart than his beak. "I have for years. I had always hoped that one day I would find the strength to tell you, but it took until now to find it."

"Wow," was all Marlene, eyes wide open, could reply.

"And I had always hoped that you might feel the same way, too," Skipper continued. "My dream was that we could be together, but I realize now that that was never meant to be. Yet still I love you, even if you'll never be mine."

Skipper then sniffled a little.

"Yes, to tell the truth, I know that you love Antonio, but in my heart there will always remain a place for you," he continued. "Trust me, no matter how much Antonio loves you, I will always love you more. I would–"

"Skipper," Marlene broke-in as she held Skipper's beak shut with a paw, "you've said enough."

She then wrapped her paws around him as tight as possible and hugged him.

"I love you, too," she said. "And I have for years. I had always hoped that one day I would find the strength to tell you, but it took until now to find it."

Marlene using his exact words to confess her feelings brought tears to both of their eyes, and Skipper then reached out and hugged Marlene back.

"Both of our hopes finally coming to fruition, but why did we ever wait so long?" Skipper asked.

"We can't change the past, Skipper," Marlene replied. "But we'll always have the future together."

"But what about Antonio?" Skipper wondered. "He loves you, too."

"He can love me all he wants to, Skipper," Marlene replied, "but my heart belongs to you."

Marlene then let go of Skipper and looked at the wedding ring she had on her finger. Without hesitation, she pulled it off.

"So you're giving the ring back to Antonio?" Skipper asked.

Marlene shook her head.

"No," she said as she placed the ring in Skipper's flipper. "Save it for our wedding day."

* * *

**Note:** Hopefully this story's second sentence, "… Antonio and Marlene were getting married," didn't scare Skilene fans away from reading this scenario all the way through. Since Antonio was revealed to be Marlene's true Luv-u-Lator match in "Otter Things Have Happened," I actually do have a fear that the two might meet each other on the show someday and begin some sort of relationship. For that reason, I decided to write this scenario in which Marlene, though about to wed to the otter, ultimately turns him down when someone she loves far more reveals his true feelings to her. It suggests that Marlene might be capable of falling in love with Antonio when there is no competition, but when Skipper comes on the scene, her heart clearly belongs to him.

Writing this particular story was an interesting endeavor for me, since it is basically the opposite of the "friendship with hints" way I've always written Skilene as. It was fun to try something different for this project, but I do not intend to write stories like this outside of this project.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 3, 2010


	4. Dream Come True

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 4: "Dream Come True"  
****Saturday, September 4, 2010**

Outside of her habitat, the storm raged on. As the thunder crashed relentlessly, gale-force winds blew the cold rain straight into Marlene's cave. After tossing and turning in her bed for hours, Marlene was tired. And soaked.

"This madness ends now!" she declared in a fashion that would rival even Skipper as she leapt to her feet. "I need to get out of this place!"

Marlene then made her way out of her habitat, braving the storm in an effort to escape it. She hoped that she might be able to find shelter over at the penguins' bunker. She entered it upon arrival.

"Intruder!" Skipper shouted as he and the other penguins were startled awake by Marlene's entrance.

The lights in the HQ seemed to come on before anyone even got to the light switch.

"Guys, it's just me, Marlene," she said, identifying herself.

"No, Marlene is a lot drier-looking," Skipper declared. "Whoever you are, madam, you are absolutely drenched."

"I _am_ Marlene," she stated as she rolled her eyes and walked up to Skipper. "But pardon me for forgetting my ID in my other fur coat. You know, the one that wasn't _soaked by that big rainstorm going on outside_."

A boom of thunder then rocked through the HQ.

"Well, I suppose that thunder confirms your story," Skipper then said. "So, what brings you to our lair?"

"Well, I was hoping I could maybe spend the night over here, since the rain keeps blowing into my habitat," Marlene replied. "Would that be OK?"

"I think we could arrange that," Skipper agreed, turning then to Rico. "Rico, prepare a guest bed."

A short while later, suitable sleeping arrangements were set up for Marlene on the floor of the HQ. Not long after, the otter, now dry, climbed under the covers to finally get some shut-eye.

"Goodnight, guys," Marlene said.

"Goodnight, Marlene," the penguins responded in unison.

_Skipper gave Marlene a hug._

"_You know, I think tonight's the night I finally stop fighting," Skipper said. "I know we've been friends for a while – and good ones, too – but I think there's a lot more to us than just this."_

"_What do you mean, Skipper?" Marlene asked._

"_I think I like you, in the _'like you, like you'_ sort of way," Skipper replied. "Actually, I don't _think_ it; I _know_ it."_

_Marlene smiled as she reached out and hugged Skipper back._

"_I was hoping you were going to say that," she said._

Skipper woke up to the shock of finding Marlene standing in front of his bunk, hugging him.

"Marlene, what in the name of Davy Crockett are you doing!" he exclaimed, waking up the other penguins in the process.

"But, but, you just told me that you liked me, in the _'like me, like me'_ sort of way," Marlene stated as she let go of Skipper. "What gives?"

"Marlene, I didn't tell you that," Skipper replied. "I've been asleep all this time."

"But–" Marlene continued, but she stopped suddenly when she realized it had all been a dream. "Oh, Skipper, I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! Oh, this is so embarrassing! I'm so ashamed!"

Skipper looked at Marlene as she was backing away from him. He clearly saw that she was embarrassed, but did he detect some sadness and disappointment, too? Maybe now was the right time to do something he had long looked for the right moment to do.

Skipper climbed out of his bunk and stood in front of it.

"Come here, Marlene," he said. "Let me tell you something."

Marlene wasn't sure what Skipper wanted to tell her, but she complied.

"You know, Marlene, I think there may be some truth to your dream after all," he said. "In fact, I don't _think_ it; I _know_ it."

He then reached out and hugged her.

"I do like you, in the _'like you, like you'_ sort of way," he said with a smile.

As Marlene began to hug Skipper back, Kowalski ducked his head into Private's bunk.

"I've always known those two had feelings for each other," he said. "Another hypothesis proven correct."


	5. Operation: Big Igloo

_**A Skilene-Filled September**_**  
Scenario 5: "Operation: Big Igloo"****  
****Sunday, September 5, 2010**

"OK, Skipper, I think I've gotten all the files you requested," Private said, struggling to balance the huge box of documents in his flippers as he carried it over to Skipper. "Um, a little help, please?"

Skipper then waddled forward to assist Private with the box. The two then carried it outside, where Kowalski and Rico were already waiting for them.

"All right, boys, we've done this often enough that I'm sure we all know the drill by now," Skipper then told the others. "Let's get these classified papers shredded up as soon as possible so that we can then strategically bury these chopped-up secrets."

Skipper, Kowalski, and Private then each took a folder from the box, then held them up in front of Rico's face. Rico smiled, then opened his mouth wide.

"OK, boys, shred away!" Skipper declared as he, Kowalski, and Private began to stuff folder after folder down Rico's paper-shredding throat. "Let's get these documents down to bite-size."

Several minutes later, the team was still going strong with the first phase of their document destruction, and Rico wasn't anywhere near full. But suddenly, Skipper brought an abrupt halt to the operation.

"Kowalski, drop that file now!" Skipper yelled as he grabbed it away from Kowalski before it could enter Rico's beak. "Don't you see what color it is?"

"Um, red, sir?" Kowalski asked.

"Not just red, it's red with a blue stripe, a gold star, and an orange triangle," Skipper replied. "This file isn't supposed to be destroyed; this file contains the most important document I own."

"What is it, Skipper?" Private asked.

"Only the most classified of classified information, young Private," Skipper replied. "Why, if it fell into the wrong hands, flippers, paws, or other appendage, my life could be thrown into utter chaos."

"But _what_ is it?" Kowalski asked, hoping for a clearer answer. "You know you can trust us with the intel."

"It's called 'Operation: Big Igloo,' Kowalski," Skipper replied as he pointed at the title on the folder. "But its contents are too sensitive for even you. And yet, it would be the most important mission you would ever carry out."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, sir," Kowalski stated. "How could I carry it out if it's too sensitive for me to even see?"

Skipper sighed.

"We live dangerous lives in a dangerous world," Skipper said as he held up his most classified folder. "It's important to me that I have this plan for a certain thing to be done on my behalf just incase I, well, go up to that big igloo in the sky before my time."

"You mean, if you–" Private began.

"Bite the big one?" Rico mumbled.

"Yes, Rico," Skipper replied. "If I were to die in the line of duty, it would be of the utmost importance that this plan be–"

But before Skipper could finish his sentence, an unexpected wind gust blew the folder from his grip. The breeze caused the folder to open midair, and for the single-page document that had been inside to flutter about until it finally came to a rest on the ground in front of the penguin habitat. Right in front of Marlene's feet.

"Lose something, guys?" Marlene asked as she bent down to pick up the paper.

"Wait, Marlene," Skipper called to her. "Don't pick that up. Let me come get it."

"Skipper, it's really no trouble," Marlene said as she lifted up the paper. "I'll come bring it to you."

As she took the paper in her paws, she couldn't help but read it. It wasn't her intention, but the words written on it were so few that there wasn't much of a choice. It was in effect read just by looking at it.

"_Kowalski, tell Marlene that I have always loved her. Signed, Skipper."_

Marlene felt a warmness in her heart as she read those words. Seconds later, she was on top of the platform in the penguin habitat to give Skipper his document back.

"I could pretend I didn't see what's on this paper," Marlene said as she presented it to Skipper, "but then I'd find it hard not to do this."

She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Skipper blushed, then looked down at the document. He then crumpled it up and drop kicked it away.

"Boys, if I died tomorrow, I'd now have no unfinished business," he said to his men as he reached out to hug Marlene. "Marlene has declassified my greatest secret by holding the key to my heart."

* * *

**Note:** I would like to apologize for not being able to publish this scenario on September 5. Unfortunately, due to some still to be fixed problem with the telephone connection to my house, I have lost both phone and DSL Internet services. The repair will likely happen soon, but I am posting this (and the next two) installments from a computer at my local library, which had been closed both Sunday and Monday. It has always been my intention to update this project daily, but this delay was obviously an unforeseen circumstance. Thank you for understanding.

-_GrandOldPenguin_  
September 7, 2010


	6. Cute

_**A Skilene-Filled September**_**  
Scenario 6: "Cute"****  
****Monday, September 6, 2010**

Skipper entered Marlene's habitat to find her sitting down in an odd position while holding her right foot between her paws.

"Say it isn't so, Marlene!" he exclaimed as he waddled over to her. "Tell me Mort hasn't brainwashed you into having a foot fetish, too!"

"Oh, it's not like that," Marlene replied as she let go of her foot and looked up at Skipper. "I was just taking a closer look at it, that's all."

"You don't say," Skipper commented. "Might I ask why?"

"I was trying to see just how white it is," Marlene responded.

"And again, I have to ask why," Skipper said.

"Well, you were here a few days ago when Kowalski mentioned how my white foot so uniquely identifies me," Marlene replied. "I had never really thought about it much before, but it does really stand out."

Marlene then lifted up her right foot and held onto it once again.

"I must be the only otter to ever have a white foot like this," she said, "so I'm going to dye it brown like it's supposed to be."

Skipper then glanced down on the floor next to where Marlene was sitting and spotted a bottle of brown hair dye. Though he was impressed by the skills Marlene must have had to execute to procure it, he didn't let that get in the way of his opinion on the matter.

"Well, that would be awfully silly of you," he told her. "Yes, your white foot is unique, and you may very well be the only otter with a foot quite like that. But it's a part of you, Marlene."

"Wait, so you actually like my white foot?" Marlene asked.

Skipper smiled as he then sat down next to Marlene.

"Indeed I do," he replied. "And to be honest, I think it's rather cute."

Skipper saw Marlene blush a little. He smiled as another thought then came to him.

"Actually, dollface, the rest of you ain't half bad either," he added coolly.

Skipper than saw Marlene blush a lot. He smiled a successful smile.

Marlene then placed a paw on Skipper's flipper.

"If you were anyone else, I probably would have slapped you by now," she responded. "But hey, you're rather cute and cuddly yourself."

* * *

**Publication note:** As was the case with my previous scenario, I was unable to publish this one on time as well because of my continuing loss of telephone and Internet services over the Labor Day weekend. If I was Skipper, I'd swear Dr. Blowhole was behind this whole mess.

**Scenario note:** Kowalski briefly noted Marlene's white right foot as an identifiable marking in the September 4-aired episode "Badger Pride." I had long wanted to write a scene in which Skipper told Marlene that he thought the foot was cute, so after this new episode reminded me of that idea, I decided to incorporate it into my project.

-_GrandOldPenguin_  
September 7, 2010


	7. Take Me Out to the Ballgame

_**A Skilene-Filled September**_**  
Scenario 7: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"****  
****Tuesday, September 7, 2010**

As Skipper was on his way back to the HQ following a solo recon mission, he stopped when he noticed two small, rectangular pieces of paper sitting on a nearby bench. Never one to ignore even the most minuscule thing out of the ordinary, Skipper waddled over to the bench to see what these papers were. Perhaps they were vital clues about some vast conspiracy. Maybe they were left behind by Blowhole agents or the Danish government. Or maybe even–

"Two tickets to tonight's Yankees game," Skipper said as he examined them. "But, eh, they're not really my favorite team."

He then went to place the tickets back on the bench – perhaps some other New Yorker could use them. He had a busy night of training with the boys planned anyway, and with just two tickets, how could he even choose which one of his men to take with him anyhow? So he left the tickets right where he had found them, then proceeded to walk away.

He got five feet away before an idea struck him.

"Marlene!" he said with a smile as he went back to retrieve the tickets. "I'll take her out to the ballgame. In fact, this would give me the perfect opportunity to– _Hey, why am I talking to myself anyway?_"

A plan in his head, Skipper went then to the HQ to tell the boys that the training scheduled for that evening had been struck out. The fact that the next day's training would be a doubleheader he decided to omit, however.

Not long after, Skipper went over to see Marlene about his plan for the evening.

"Baseball?" she asked after Skipper had told her of the game plan. "It's nice that you thought to invite me, but have you thought this plan all the way through? I mean, do you really think you could just waltz into Yankee Stadium and expect them to admit a ticket-holding penguin off the street?"

"First of all, I don't _waltz_, I waddle," Skipper said. "But that aside, you do have a point. So let's just forget about the tickets altogether; we'll just sneak in."

Marlene sensed that Skipper really wanted to go to the game with her, and, in all honesty, she really thought going with him was a swell idea, too. So she agreed.

"OK, Skipper," she said. "We'll find a way to get in. This actually sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun."

"It will be," Skipper replied with a smile. "I guarantee it."

"Huh?" Marlene asked puzzledly.

"Oh, nothing," Skipper responded as he casually turned away. "I'll see you in a while."

With that, Skipper left Marlene's habitat.

Hours later, Skipper picked Marlene up in the penguins' pink car and they drove out to the ballpark together. Once there, the two managed to sneak into the stadium by pretending to be stuffed animals inside the basket below a baby's stroller.

Inside, Skipper and Marlene stealthily made their way over to a nearby dark corner where they could see the game without the threat of being seen by humans. This spot also had the added benefit of greatly reducing their chances of being hit by a foul ball, which is certainly a plus when you're barely knee-high to begin with.

A perfect day cloudless and free from rain, the game started on time at 7:05 p.m. – 1905 by Skipper's military timekeeping. Innings came and went, with a good amount of action on the field by both teams.

Suddenly, as one particular inning came to a close, Skipper saw that various messages paid for by fans in attendance began displaying on the scoreboard. He smiled warmly as he turned to Marlene.

"Marlene, would you take a look at the scoreboard, please?" he said. "There's something you've got to see on it."

Marlene then turned to the scoreboard.

"'_Happy birthday, George_'?" she wondered, reading the scoreboard's message.

"No, keep looking," Skipper said.

And suddenly, there it was, displayed for all to see: _I love you, Marlene_.

"Odds are you're not the only Marlene in this stadium," Skipper said as he placed a flipper around Marlene's shoulders, "but you're the only one I love."

Marlene placed a paw on Skipper's back.

"I love you, too," she said. "I bet it was hard holding in your surprise for me all day."

"Nah," Skipper replied. "It's been much harder holding in my true feelings for you for so long. But tonight, this crowd of thousands can attest to my love for you."

And so Skipper took Marlene out to the ballgame. And like the song goes, they didn't care if they ever came back.

* * *

**Publication note: **As stated following the previous two scenarios, I continue to remain without Internet service at my house. While the repair will likely be made in time for me to be able to post tomorrow's scenario on time, be aware that I can make no guarantees. However, be assured that I will indeed write one and will have it available for you to read as soon as possible.

-_GrandOldPenguin_  
September 7, 2010


	8. Glad You're a Guy

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 8: "Glad You're a Guy"  
****Wednesday, September 8, 2010**

A week after he had worn it as a bow on his head before fashioning it into a makeshift bullwhip, Skipper ran the long piece of pink ribbon through his flippers.

"I'm sure glad that whole misadventure is behind me," Skipper said to himself, remembering vividly how a misunderstanding had caused him to temporarily believe he was a female seven days earlier. "And my subsequent recurring nightmares of dancing on stage with the Rockettes have become less and less frequent."

Skipper then looked at the ribbon a little closer.

"Why am I still keeping this?" he asked himself. "It's not like I don't already have 31 other bullwhips of assorted sizes and pain-infliction levels. As paranoid as I am, do I _really_ need a 32nd one?"

Astonishingly, Skipper came to the conclusion that he did not. Instead, he folded up the ribbon and tucked in under his left flipper, then left the HQ to pay Marlene a visit.

"Hello, Marlene," Skipper said cheerfully as he waddled into Marlene's habitat. "I have something I'd like to give you."

"What is it?" Marlene asked.

Skipper then pulled the ribbon out from under his flipper and presented it to her.

"Oh, the pink ribbon you cracked against my cheek last week," Marlene replied as she rolled her eyes. "Skipper, you shouldn't have."

"Come on, Marlene, I thought we were past that," Skipper replied. "It was all in fun. And you're not a moron either, though the jury's still out on Alice."

Marlene then took the ribbon from Skipper.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this, but thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Skipper replied. "I no longer need it, and pink's not really my color anyway."

"Um, don't you drive a car that's pink?" Marlene couldn't help but point out.

"Not by choice, Marlene," Skipper replied. "Our vehicle would still be black right now if Kowalski had done the paint adherence calculations correctly so we knew how long to let it dry before driving it out in the rain. I'm just playing the hand I was dealt."

Skipper then cleared his throat.

"Anyway, Marlene, please consider that ribbon/bow/bullwhip/what have you as a token of appreciation for helping me come to my senses last week," he said. "You can do with it whatever you please, whether it be to hold your curtains open, as a tripwire for some big beautiful explosion, to floss your teeth, or anything else you can think of."

Marlene smiled.

"Thank you for giving me an array of options that weren't all stereotypically female," she said.

"Yes, forgive me for all that last week as well," Skipper stated. "I just had no clue about what being a female was supposed to be like. I tried being a girl for just one day and couldn't cut it. How do you do it so well, Marlene?"

"_How?_" Marlene chuckled. "I was born that way."

"Ah, that would probably explain it," Skipper smiled.

Then, another thought suddenly entered Skipper's mind.

"After all the motivation you gave me in the course of saving the lemurs when I still thought I was female, I'd bet you were a bit disappointed when my DNA results showed that I was still a guy after all," he said. "You probably thought you had finally found another lady to hang out with around here, but now you're right back to where you started."

Marlene nodded her head slightly.

"Briefly, I was indeed a little disappointed," she acknowledged. "But it didn't last very long, since I'd actually be more disappointed if you really were a female."

"How so?" Skipper asked.

"It's complicated," Marlene replied.

"Complicated like Kowalski's science mumbo-jumbo, or complicated like you just don't want to talk about it?" Skipper inquired.

"It's just that I would have lost you the way I've always known you," Marlene answered. "Sure, it was fun when you were my 'sister,' but I'm so glad you turned out to still be a guy in the end. It makes things a whole lot less awkward for me, and still gives me hope."

"Hope?" Skipper wondered. "Hope for what?"

Marlene then paused for a moment. She realized full well the weight her reply would have on her friendship with Skipper from that point forward. She then answered.

"Hope for something more than friendship between us, Skipper," she replied. "That's why I'm so glad I didn't have to lose you last week – it would have truly broken my heart. Then I'd probably have to go out looking for some otter bachelor in the park or something, and I could never see myself doing that. I don't love some random otter, Skipper; I love you."

As he listened to Marlene's revelation of her true feelings for him, Skipper smiled as a tear ran down his cheek.

"You know, Marlene, you and I have a lot in common," he said as he wrapped a flipper around her. "You're honestly the first one I thought of when the DNA analyzer said I was female, and not because I would later need your help. No, it was because I had long had hope for us as well, Marlene, and I feared that coming to an end. I thought there would then never be a day that I could finally look you in the eye and tell you how much I love you."

Marlene then began to cry at Skipper's heartfelt words as well, but Skipper quickly dried her eyes with a flipper.

"But we no longer have to fear anything, Marlene," he said. "I'm 100 percent Antarctic macho, and you're 100 percent California beautiful. Together, we're 200 percent in love."

* * *

**Publication note:** I once again find myself at the library in order to post this installment a day later than I should have. Again I apologize for the delay, but the telephone company (which I will now identify as being AT&T) has yet to fix whatever error is causing my inability to connect to both their telephone network and the Internet from my house.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 9, 2010


	9. Out of the Blue

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 9: "Out of the Blue"  
****Thursday, September 9, 2010**

Skipper looked at the clock as the minutes slowly ticked by. It was 1748 – just two minutes after he had last checked the time – meaning there were still 12 more agonizing minutes to go until Marlene would arrive at the HQ.

Earlier in the day, Skipper had asked her to come over at precisely 1800 hours, and once she understood that that meant 6 p.m., she agreed to meet with him. Skipper had only told her that she would be the primary focus of some major operation he was planning, but he was short on any of its details.

When the clock reached 1759, Skipper took a deep breath.

"This is it," he told himself. "There's no backing out now."

He was right. Marlene then entered through the platform hatch.

"Hello, Skipper," she said upon spotting him. "So, what's on your mind?"

"More than you know," he replied. "But that's all about to change."

He then motioned for Marlene to follow him over to the table and have a seat. Once the two were sitting down, Skipper began to speak.

"I'm sure by now that you know that I often have an unorthodox approach to doing things," he began. "Tonight's no different. I've thought long and hard about how to tell you about a certain thing I've been feeling for quite some time, but I could never find the courage to take the first step. You see, starting small has never been one of my strengths – I'm far more concerned with getting to the big finish and achieving results."

Skipper then got up from his makeshift cinderblock chair and stood beside Marlene. He suddenly pulled a small box out from nowhere and got down on one knee. It only lowered his stature a few inches, but it was the principle that mattered. He opened the box, and its contents sparkled.

"Marlene, will you marry me?" he asked.

He got no response, however. Instead, Marlene fainted and fell off her own cinderblock and onto the floor.

"I probably should have planned for that contingency," Skipper said out loud as he placed the box on the table and reached down to lift Marlene up from the floor.

He sat her back up on her cinderblock and held onto her so she didn't fall off again. Within a few short moments, Marlene regained consciousness.

"Hi, Skipper," she said slowly as she came to, then she suddenly remembered. "_You want me to what!_"

"Well, I, uh," Skipper stuttered. "I'd like for you to become Mrs. Marlene Fidelis. My wife."

"But, Skipper," Marlene began, "I'm not even your girlfriend. We've never even gone on one date! You've never even asked me out on one!"

Skipper then looked deep into Marlene's eyes.

"Why bother, Marlene?" he asked.

"Huh?" Marlene wondered.

"I mean, it just seems illogical to go through all those layers of bureaucracy when we both know in our hearts that we were always destined to be together," Skipper clarified. "You've loved me for years just like I have you; we've both just never been able to take that first step of confessing our true feelings. Admit it, dollface, you're absolutely smitten with me, and you know inside that I'm equally as crazy about you."

Marlene's heart raced as Skipper stopped speaking. Every word he had spoken was undeniably true. She smiled.

"You truly do accomplish things in extraordinary ways," she said she pulled Skipper closer with a paw. "And that's just one of the many reasons why I love you."

Skipper smiled as well as he began to hug Marlene in his flippers.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he said. "I do often like to go out with a bang."

"But not this time, Skipper; tonight the big finish is all mine," Marlene said. "Yes, Skipper, yes I will; I would be honored to marry you."

* * *

**Publication note:** Now five full days since my home telephone and Internet services went down, I am unsure when they will come back online. However, this project and your valued readership mean a lot to me, and I continue to pledge to fully work on "A Skilene-Filled September" throughout this unexpected development with as little delay as possible. Accordingly, I intend fully to update this project from my local library, like I am doing now, on all mornings that they are open for business until the problem is resolved.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 9, 2010


	10. Common Ground

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 10: "Common Ground"  
****Friday, September 10, 2010**

When the penguins' morning training had to be curtailed on account of rain, the team decided to take the rest of the morning off.

Kowalski decided to use his unexpected free time to work on a new liquid explosive, while Rico opted to use his to simply wait for Kowalski to prefect the volatile substance so that he could destroy something with it. For Private, he decided his time would best be spent by enjoying a dozen or so Peanut Butter Winkies, as well as a few of the brand's newest product, Double Peanut Butter Winkies. As for Skipper, he was just trying to find something good to watch on TV.

"_Chuck Charles here, live on the scene in the Bronx where–"_ reported the anchorman on the TV until Skipper pressed the mute button.

About that time, Marlene entered the HQ.

"Hey, guys," she said. "What's happenin'?"

"Well, we've all taken the morning off, Marlene," Skipper answered. "And I'm trying to find something decent to watch on TV for a while, but nothing good seems to be on."

"Really?" Marlene asked. "Mind if I give it a go?"

But before Skipper could even answer her, Marlene had already taken the remote control and begun to flip through the channels.

"Oh, here's a delightful little pop concert," Marlene said as she stopped on a music channel. "These are just the kind of songs I like to sing and play my guitar to when – oops, forget I ever mentioned that."

"Pass," Skipper declared. "Next channel, please."

Marlene then advanced to the next channel, Animal Planet, and smiled at what she saw.

"This show is about otters, Skipper," Marlene said. "Let's take a look."

"Marlene, if you've seen one otter, you've seen them all," Skipper replied.

Marlene gave off a slight shout of irritation, then continued along with the channel surfing.

"Ooh, bowling!" she said as she stopped on a game just as a man was about to bowl a strike. "I know how much you guys like to play around with and draw faces on those bowling pins of yours, so why not take a peek at the actual game?"

Skipper sighed.

"Marlene, I know you're trying to be helpful, but we just have different ways of looking at things," he replied. "We're just not alike."

Just then, the bowling game on TV went to a commercial break. After a plethora of commercials ranging in subject from laundry detergent to car insurance, one more quickly ran as a 10-second promo about an upcoming documentary to be shown on a sister network.

"_You know about the bongos and tie-dye T-shirts, but do you _really_ know the whole story? Don't miss 'Pacifists and Anti-Capitalists: The Hippie Story.' Coming in two weeks."_

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be watching that one," Marlene then commented. "I don't really care much for hippies."

Skipper's eyes suddenly lit up. Did she really just say that?

"Marlene, what was that?" Skipper asked with hope and optimism.

"I don't like hippies," Marlene replied.

Skipper smiled widely. He then wrapped a flipper around Marlene's back.

"I love you," he declared. "I always knew we were alike."

* * *

**Scenario note:** This one was short and sweet. Simply put, I thought it would be funny to have Skipper declare his love for Marlene simply because she shared his view on hippies. Skipper's negative opinion of them, of course, was first identified in "It's About Time," then again in "Hello, Dollface."

**Publication note:** I am happy to announce that the issues with my telephone and Internet services are now over. This scenario was published on time, and I would expect to now be able to update this project daily again just as I had planned to from the start.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 10, 2010


	11. Life is Fragile

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 11: "Life is Fragile"  
****Saturday, September 11, 2010**

"_Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward. And freedom will be defended. … Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." _–President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

Just like they had done on this day for years, the animals of the Central Park Zoo – many of whom had been New Yorkers for most, if not all, of their lives – privately gathered in remembrance of the events which had taken place in America nine years earlier. Even the lemurs, who had still been in Madagascar at the time of the attacks, felt the need for reflection – they were all Americans now.

Once gathered, the crowd all stood together and each placed a flipper, hand, paw, or other appendage over their heart as Skipper led them in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America," they all said, "and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Upon completion, all sat down except for Skipper, who then proceeded to address the gathering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, birds and mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as my colleague, Kowalski, might say, if we fail to appreciate and learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it," he said. "As we now mark nine years since the evil acts which unfolded in this city, Pennsylvania, and D.C. in 2001, it is easy – too easy – to forget their significance and impact as time continues to pass without further incident. It is indeed important to move forward as a zoo and as a nation, yet it would be improper to relegate September 11 to just another date on the calendar. And so we gather yet again in remembrance."

The ceremony then continued along with Roger's singing of "God Bless America." Following the alligator's tearjerkingly beautiful rendition, the commemoration continued for another 25 minutes.

"Thank you, my friends, and God bless America," Skipper then said at the event's conclusion.

As the gathering then began to disperse and the animals returned to their own habitats, Marlene walked up to Skipper.

"Another fitting tribute you orchestrated today, Skipper," she said. "Thank you for doing it."

"I like to think I'm just doing my small part, that's all," Skipper replied. "I just feel it's important, especially since the boys and I were here in New York when everything happened. We felt the ground shake as the towers collapsed, Marlene; it was all too real."

"Wow," Marlene replied. "I never knew you guys had actually felt that happening before."

"It's a feeling I still wish I could forget," Skipper continued. "Feeling something like that and knowing that lives were lost in it just tears your heart apart. But it also puts things into perspective and makes you realize just how fragile life really is."

Marlene nodded.

"It certainly is fragile, and unpredictable," she said. "Just imagine all the people simply going about their lives that day who never again got the chance to tell their special someone 'I love you.'"

"I'm sure there were many," Skipper said sadly. "But they just never could have imagined the possibility of not seeing September 12."

Marlene then thought for a moment.

"You know, you and I even don't know what may be coming tomorrow," she said. "It's scary to even think about it, but we could be gone tomorrow ourselves."

"Odds are we'll be just fine, Marlene," Skipper said, "but you're right: Nothing in life can truly be taken for granted; there really are no absolutes."

Marlene then looked up into Skipper's eyes for a moment. She then reached out and took his flippers in her paws.

"I expect to still be here tomorrow, Skipper, but let me just tell you something so that I may have peace of mind," she said. "I think that you're a very honorable penguin, someone that I can completely trust with anything. We have our differences, but we always work through them because we both respect each other. I care about you a whole lot, and you've always been more than a friend to me. I think I love you, Skipper."

Skipper smiled as took hold of Marlene's paws as well.

"Then I pray that we will have many more tomorrows together, Marlene," he said, "because, truth be told, I feel the same way about you, too."

* * *

**A moment of reflection:** Perhaps it's just me, but I would find it difficult to publish an installment of an otherwise lighthearted project on September 11 without acknowledging and paying respect to the tragedy which had befallen the United States nine years ago today. Far too many Americans have forgotten the meaning of this day and have become complacent due to a general sense of domestic peace, but all owe the victims, at the very least, a few moments of reflection. May God bless America today and always.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 11, 2010


	12. You Don't Have to Say It

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 12: "You Don't Have to Say It"  
****Sunday, September 12, 2010**

"Thank you again, Skipper," Marlene said after Skipper had brought her a bucket full of oysters to replace ones that had spoiled.

"No trouble at all, Marlene," Skipper replied as he turned to head out of Marlene's habitat. "Enjoy them."

With that, another simple favor was completed between the two. As Marlene then watched Skipper waddle away from her cave back toward his own habitat, she couldn't help but think how thankful she was to have a friend like that.

"Ah, Skipper," Marlene said to herself. "For him, no job is too big or too small. He's simply the best."

As Marlene then made her way to the center of her habitat, she thought a little more about Skipper. In fact, thinking about Skipper was something she did often. Throughout all the years that they had known each other, both Skipper and Marlene seemed to get closer and closer with each passing day. It was almost as if there was some larger element driving their relationship.

"There is something more to us," Marlene stated out loud, as if to answer some unspoken cue. "Yes, I no longer can deny it. And it's about time I mention something to him about it."

Though she was indeed nervous about her sudden decision, Marlene thought it would be best for both her and Skipper to finally get this out of the way. So she walked over to the penguins' HQ to see Skipper later that day.

"Skipper, could I tell you something important?" she asked.

"Go right ahead," Skipper replied.

"Well, Skipper, I'm not exactly sure how to put this, but, um, well, you see," she nervously began. "I have this, well, it's this special kind of, um–"

Skipper then reached out and took one of Marlene's paws in his flippers. He smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"Marlene, you don't have to say it," he said. "I love you, too."

* * *

**Note:** I would predict that this will likely be the shortest story in the project. It's main purpose was just to allow Skipper to complete Marlene's thought about their relationship, and it didn't really need a whole long introduction to set this all up. The fact that I've also been up for nearly a day and a half, I'm sure, is part of the reason this one is on the shorter side as well.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 12, 2010


	13. A Heartfelt Awakening

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 13: "A Heartfelt Awakening"  
****Monday, September 13, 2010**

As Marlene stood atop a rock by her habitat's pond preparing to take a dive, the penguins waddled by.

"Hey, guys, want to watch me dive?" she asked upon noticing them. "I'm going to do two somersaults."

"Marlene, we have more important things to do than watch your two-somersault dive," Skipper replied. "Now if there were three somersaults, that would be a different story."

Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Fine, Skipper, three it is," she said. "Just give me a countdown when you guys are ready for me to do it."

"You dive in five, four, three," Skipper counted, "two, one, go!"

Marlene then jumped off of her rock and somersaulted three times in the air. She then missed the water completely.

"Ouch!" Rico declared as Marlene slammed into the same rock she had just jumped off of.

"Is she OK, Skipper?" Private asked in concern.

"Marlene is surprisingly tough for a mammal, Private," Skipper replied. "I'm sure she's just fine."

But she wasn't. After a few moments went by without Marlene getting up, the penguins rushed in to help her.

"Marlene, are you all right?" Skipper asked as he rubbed her back with a flipper. "Please, Marlene, say something."

But Marlene remained silent and motionless.

"Kowalski: Analysis!" Skipper declared.

Kowalski then grasped one of Marlene's paws in a flipper and placed his ear hole against her chest. He turned to Skipper after just a few seconds.

"She's still breathing and her pulse is good, but it would appear that Marlene is unconscious," he reported. "I can't see any signs of serious injury, but she did take a pretty good bump to the head."

"But will she be _OK_?" Skipper asked.

"Skipper, I'm afraid it's too soon to know that," Kowalski answered. "Perhaps after the vets get a good look at her–"

"No way!" Skipper declared. "By the time they find Marlene and begin to help her, it could be too late. Not to mention what they might do to her if they can't find a way to help her. We don't have time to waste waiting for people who don't know Marlene like we do; the only ones that can really help Marlene right now are us."

"Very well," Kowalski said. "Let's first bring her inside her habitat."

The four then carefully picked Marlene up and carried her into her cave. After they placed her on her soft bed, Kowalski examined her a little further.

"No broken bones, no sign of internal bleeding," he soon reported. "But she's still unconscious, so we should probably try to wake her up."

Upon hearing this, Rico regurgitated a sealed smelling salts capsule, unwrapped it, and cracked it open under Marlene's nose. Unfortunately, the strong aromatic ammonia vapors failed to stimulate any regaining of consciousness.

"This is all my fault!" Skipper then yelled. "I made her do three somersaults when she was only going to do two, and now look at her. What if she never wakes up?"

"Skipper, I've found nothing to indicate that possibility," Kowalski then said as he placed a flipper on Skipper's shoulder. "What Marlene probably needs now is just a little time alone to come out of her coma-like state. There's simply nothing more that any of the four of us can do for her right now."

On that note, Kowalski led Rico and Private away from Marlene. But Skipper refused to leave Marlene's side.

"Kowalski implies that you'll probably be just fine in a while, but I'm not going to leave you until you tell me that yourself," Skipper said to an unconscious Marlene as he held onto her paw.

He then let go of her and instead lay down beside her. As his eyes began to fill with tears, he placed a flipper around her shoulders and leaned over her.

"Please wake up, Marlene," he said. "I love you."

As he spoke those final three words, a tear ran down Skipper's face and soon fell onto Marlene's cheek. He could have sworn he saw her blush a little when it made contact against her fur. Then suddenly …

"Skipper! Skipper, where am I?" Marlene shot her eyes open and asked. "Why are you crying? Is everything OK?"

"Marlene!" Skipper exclaimed as he wrapped his flippers around her. "Thank God you're back! Oh, I missed you, Marlene! And I love you!"

* * *

**Note:** There were several different variations I could have used in this particular scenario, especially those concerning its concluding scenes, the duration of Marlene's unconsciousness, and the exact trigger of her return from it. I eventually chose the ones I did because I found them to be the best fit for this project's theme without additional drama. A quick resolution following a quite brief period of unconsciousness also allowed the scenario to wrap up nicely without excessive length. I thought a little as well about what Marlene might say in reply to Skipper at the end, but I liked just ending it where I did too much to mess with it, not to mention the mystery it leaves just by keeping any further dialogue unwritten.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 13, 2010


	14. Someone Else

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 14: "Someone Else"  
****Tuesday, September 14, 2010**

"OK, your majesty, now's your chance," Maurice called over to Julien after he had noticed Marlene walking toward the lemur habitat. "Just remember what we talked about."

Julien nodded, straightened his crown, and proceeded to walk to the edge of his habitat to greet Marlene as she came by.

"Hello, my otter subject," he said as she walked up to him. "How goes the morning?"

"Pretty good," Marlene responded. "And you?"

"Oh, about the same," the king replied. "Except for this one royal thing I have to do soon. Really soon. Like right now."

Julien then cleared his throat.

"I, the king, would like to officially ask you in," he said.

"In?" Marlene wondered. "Come again?"

She then heard a faint sound that sounded a lot like Maurice coughing somewhere behind a bush, but she decided to just ignore it.

"Ah, _out_, I meant," Julien corrected. "Yes, I invite you to join the royal me for a date."

Marlene looked at him puzzledly for a moment.

"This is all kind of sudden, don't you think?" she asked. "Why do you want to go out with me? What about all those girlfriends you have up in Canada?"

"Oh, they all, um, moved to New Zealand," Julien strained to reply. "We had a long distance relationship before, but now it's just, um, too long to work. Yes, that is it."

"Right," Marlene replied skeptically as she rolled her eyes. "Well, take no offense, but I'm going to have to decline. I'm sorry, Julien, but I only want to be a friend and neighbor to you – I have no desire for anything else."

"What? But I am royal!" Julien objected. "How can you say no to the kingliness that is me after falling hopelessly in love with me in the park?"

"Two reasons," Marlene replied. "First, I'm sorry if you were misled by my feral behaviors, but I was totally wild out in the park and had no idea what I was doing. And second, I'm afraid my heart–"

She then stopped for a moment. Sure, she wanted to tell Julien the truth, but would it be too much for him to handle?

"My, well, my heart belongs to someone else," Marlene then continued. "I can't go around dating you when there's someone else always on my mind."

"That squirrel again?" Julien asked. "What's he got on me? Come on, Marlene, if you go out with me I'll let you rub off all of my royal foot calluses with a scouring pad. It's much more fun than it sounds!"

"First off, that's disgusting," Marlene replied. "But as for who is in my heart, it's not Fred at all. It's actually someone who doesn't have a clue about the way I feel about him – it's Skipper."

"Me?" Skipper asked as he suddenly waddled over. "Marlene, what's this about?"

"Skipper!" Marlene spoke up in shock. "Where did you come from?"

"I hatched from an egg 21 years ago," Skipper replied. "Why?"

"No, _where_ did you come from?" she reiterated. "How did you just suddenly appear right here next to me?"

"That's classified," Skipper replied. "But I'll tell you something that's not classified, Marlene: I just heard everything you were talking to Julien about."

Marlene then began to blush.

"So, are you mad that I have a little crush on you?" Marlene then asked. "Or that I just turned down a date with Julien by letting him know all that personal information?"

Skipper smiled.

"I think those are questions you can soon answer yourself," he said as he placed a flipper on Marlene's back. "Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?"


	15. Truth or Dare?

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 15: "Truth or Dare?"  
****Wednesday, September 15, 2010**

After all the apocalyptic chaos that had resulted from the zoo's loss of electrical power the last time, the penguins were determined not to allow that to happen again during a new blackout the zoo was currently experiencing. Not long after the lights went out – and after Skipper had determined its cause was not the result of some great conspiracy – the penguins decided to spread out across the zoo to both assure the other animals that everything was under control and to ensure they all kept their cool.

After the other three had received their assignments, Skipper went over to Marlene's habitat to fulfill his part of the plan. As a reasonable creature, Marlene was no threat to zoowide order and stability; Skipper just wanted to be sure she would be safe in the event of bedlam and depravity. Marlene appreciated the gesture, and the two played chess by candlelight to help pass the time.

"Checkmate, Marlene," Skipper smiled as another game came to a close. "That makes three in a row for me."

"Well, I'm getting better," Marlene then said. "I'm going to beat you someday."

"Yes, you probably will," Skipper replied as he chuckled. "I just hope it's before my feathers start falling out and I go bald."

"Oh, is that so?" Marlene objected playfully. "You know, I could pluck a few of those feathers out right now and speed up the process."

Skipper smiled; they both knew it was all in fun.

"So, another game?" Skipper asked as he began to set the board back up.

"Well, chess is great, but how about a different game?" Marlene replied.

"Sure," Skipper agreed. "I could teach you Stomp the Wombat or–"

"Truth or Dare?" Marlene suggested.

Skipper thought for a moment.

"Hmm," he said. "My first thought is that we're both too old for such a schoolchild game, but the 'dare' prospect certainly excites my core commando reflexes. I'm up for it."

"Very well," Marlene replied. "You ask me first."

"OK, Marlene, truth or dare?" Skipper asked.

"Truth," Marlene responded.

"Oh, the boring one," Skipper chuckled at Marlene's choice. "OK, let's see: What species of otter might you be?"

"I'm an Asian otter," Marlene replied. "For the most part, anyway. If you go back far enough in my family history, there is some river otter heritage in our past, but not enough to really amount to much. And you'd have to go back generations to even find a relative of mine who lived in the wild; the only family I've ever known have been born in captivity like me."

"Very interesting," Skipper then stated. "You should tell all that to Kowalski sometime; he's quite the genealogy buff. Anyway, I guess it's my turn now."

"Truth or–" Marlene began. "Wait, do I even have to ask?"

"As a formality," Skipper replied.

Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Dare, obviously," Skipper replied cockily. "Go ahead, Marlene, lay it on me. I laugh in the face of danger; in fact, Danger would be my middle name if it weren't already Joseph."

Marlene smirked.

"I dare you to tell the truth," she said.

"What?" Skipper objected. "That's cheating! Ask anyone!"

"OK, I'll ask," Marlene said. "And I'll say that I'm asking because you were too afraid to take a _dare_."

She had him there. Clever otter.

"You're a smart one, I'll give you that," Skipper then said. "Very well, I'll tell the truth. What is it you want to know?"

"Tell me what your biggest fear is," Marlene replied.

"No, no, no!" Skipper protested. "For someone in my profession, having to reveal my biggest fear just completely compromises my safety and security. It's like if the newspapers reported on June 5, 1944 that the D-Day invasion would be taking place the next day. There are just some things that shouldn't be discussed."

"Skipper, it's only me," Marlene then said. "You know I'm not a spy – you've investigated that like 20 times or so already, in fact. Whatever your biggest fear is, it's just something I thought to ask you. I promise that whatever it is will stay between the two of us, but if you really don't want to tell me, I won't make you."

Skipper sighed.

"OK, Marlene, I'll tell you," he said. "But my biggest fear probably isn't what you'd expect it to be. You see, my biggest fear is the loss of those I care about. If anything ever happened to one of my men, I don't think I could handle it. Kowalski, Rico, Private, and I have been together so long that we really are a family; I love them all – in a manly and non-weird kind of way, that is."

"Wow," Marlene responded. "That's deep."

"Wait, there's more," Skipper continued. "I also have a fear of something sinister happening to you. You mean a lot to me, Marlene, and I couldn't even begin to imagine a world without you in it. I would do anything to assure that you were safe from harm – why do you think I'm here right now?"

"Skipper," Marlene then said, "you really think so much of me?"

Skipper looked up at Marlene with tears in his eyes.

"My life wouldn't be worth living without the ones I love," he said.

Just then, the candle that had lit up the room flickered out as Marlene's cave suddenly went black. Moments later, Skipper felt it as a presence came up to him in the darkness and embraced him.

"I wouldn't want to be without the ones I love either," Marlene then said as she held onto Skipper. "And I couldn't live without you."


	16. Orders

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 16: "Orders"  
****Thursday, September 16, 2010**

Marlene entered the HQ to find Skipper holding a piece of paper in a trembling flipper.

"Everything OK, Skipper?" she asked as she walked up to him. "You don't look very happy right now."

"I'm not," Skipper replied as he slapped the paper he was holding down on the table. "I've just received a very difficult piece of news."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Marlene responded. "Is it anything you want to talk to me about? I make a good listener."

Skipper sighed.

"My superiors have just ordered me away from here to take command of another unit," he answered. "They want me to lead a group of up-and-coming Chinstraps in Galveston. It's nice that they thought of me for this opportunity, but I've been here in New York with my men for so long that I frankly couldn't imagine ever leading a greater group of 'guins. If it were up to me, I'd stay here for the rest of my life, but I don't get a choice in this matter – orders are meant to be obeyed."

Marlene's mind then flooded with questions.

"So, there are other penguin military units out there?" she asked. "How many are there? You have superiors? When do you leave? Are you ever coming back?"

"One question at a time, Marlene," Skipper responded. "On the first, yes, there are other penguin military units out there. On the second, I am not at liberty to tell you how many units there are. I do have superiors – those with a rank of major or higher I'm bound to take orders from. And finally, I have to leave tomorrow morning, and I'm probably never coming back."

"Tomorrow?" Marlene wondered. "They seriously expect you to drop everything and move to Texas in just 24 hours?"

"Yeah," Skipper responded. "They sure don't make things easy. Not only do I have to prepare to leave and arrange my own transportation, but I still have to gather up the boys for one final meeting to tell them I'm not going to be their commander anymore. That's going to be the hardest part of all."

Marlene's mind then filled with many thoughts. She was truly shocked that Skipper had to leave so suddenly – and probably for good. Never again would she ever get the chance to see him, and it saddened her.

"Say, Skipper, I don't want to make matters worse for you or make your situation any more difficult than it already is, but would you mind if I told you something I consider important?" she asked as she placed a paw on Skipper's shoulder.

"Marlene, nothing you say could possibly make this any more difficult," Skipper replied. "Go ahead and tell me while you still can."

"Well, I just want to say that I'm really going to miss you," she said. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to not seeing you pop out unexpectedly from the manhole under my habitat and scaring me half to death. Seriously, this whole zoo will never be the same without you."

She then paused and thought for a moment about just how far she would go with her feelings. But if she didn't say everything that she felt in her heart, she knew that she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"And it really makes me sad that I will probably never see you again because I, well, I love you, Skipper," she said. "I have for a while, actually. And I always will – I won't let distance change the way I feel, even if we never see each other again."

Skipper then tried to hold back the tears as he looked into Marlene's eyes. His trying didn't work.

"And I thought having to break from my men would be the hardest part," he said. "Now having to leave you behind is."

He then opened up his flippers and wrapped them around Marlene.

"I won't let distance ever change the way I feel either, Marlene," he said, "because, truth be told, I love you, too."

Skipper then continued embracing Marlene for several more moments, but then he suddenly let go. He then picked up the transfer notification letter from the table and stared at it for a few seconds before abruptly flinging it from his grip.

"Let 'em court-martial me," he declared as he reached out and began to hug Marlene again. "I'm not going anywhere. Nowhere but in your arms, Marlene."


	17. Intervention

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 17: "Intervention"  
****Friday, September 17, 2010**

Once he had assembled Rico, Private, and Marlene together in the HQ, Kowalski turned to Private.

"OK, Private, it's time to fetch the guest of honor," he said. "Skipper should still be right outside smiling and waving at the visitors, so please go get him."

Private nodded, then waddled over to the ladder and ascended it to go out to the platform to see Skipper.

"Say, Skipper," Private said as he approached his leader, "would you mind coming inside for a bit? Kowalski would like to have a little meeting."

"And what authority does Kowalski have to conduct a meeting?" Skipper questioned.

"There'll be snacks," Private responded cheerfully.

"Ooh, I'm there," Skipper replied, abandoning his concerns with the chain of command, as he followed Private back into the HQ.

When he entered, Skipper found the rest of his unit and Marlene sitting down seemingly waiting for him to arrive. He had a feeling that something out of the ordinary was up, but he rejected the thought that his men would be plotting some great conspiracy against him. At least for the moment.

"So, what's this all about?" Skipper then asked. "And where are the snacks?"

"We're saving the refreshments until later," Kowalski answered. "In the meantime, take a seat."

Skipper then took the last remaining chair, which was between Marlene and Private and across from Kowalski. As Skipper sat down, Kowalski cleared his throat.

"Skipper, we have asked you to join us here because we care," Kowalski said, looking next to Marlene. "And you, Marlene, are here for the same reason."

"Huh?" Marlene wondered. "I thought we were having a chess tournament. What is this?"

"An intervention," Kowalski replied.

"For both you and Skipper," Private added.

"Say what?" Skipper objected as he stood up from his chair. "I don't have a gambling problem or any other vice that needs intervening. And Marlene? She's making great strides in overcoming her popcorn addiction, so all of you leave her alone!"

"It's not that type of intervention, Skipper," Kowalski replied. "And while we all applaud Marlene's lessening of her dependence on the salty, buttery goodness that is popcorn, this isn't about that, either. Please, Skipper, sit back down so that we can talk about what this actually is."

Skipper complied with his first lieutenant's request.

"We're here because we know much more than you think we know," Kowalski continued. "We know that you and Marlene both have intense feelings for each other, but know also that neither one of you will admit it. And so we've gathered to push the two of you to finally confess your love."

Skipper stared blankly at Kowalski for a few seconds, then passed out.

"Skipper?" Private asked as he grabbed one of his leader's flippers and shook it about.

"He'll be fine, Private," Kowalski reassured. "He's just so overcome with a rush of emotion by just thinking about the prospect of a life of love with Marlene that he simply fainted with joy."

"Well, I suppose," Private replied as he abruptly let go of Skipper's flipper, allowing it to flop back into place.

"So you guys really think I love Skipper?" Marlene then asked.

"Yupperdoodle," Rico answered.

"Why yes, Marlene," Private continued. "You and Skipper have always seemed really close. In fact, you're always next to him whenever we all get together for some mission. The heart knows what it wants, so isn't it time to admit that you're more than just friends?"

Marlene blushed. She tried to hide it, but _otterly_ failed at doing so.

"Well, he is a nice guy," Marlene admitted. "And he is more than a friend already because he is a very good friend to me. But love? I'm not saying anything."

"Well, most people who plead the Fifth are undoubtedly guilty as sin," Kowalski then added. "I think it's a safe bet to say that you're no different."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Marlene questioned.

"People who plead the Fifth in court invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by declining to be questioned under oath on the witness stand," Kowalski answered. "Simply put, their answers could be used as evidence against them in their trial, so the guilty may find it in their best interest to simply say nothing at all. You, on the other hand, are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of holding strong feelings for Skipper, yet you refuse to testify to that effect."

"Kowalski, put a quarter in the show-off jar!" Skipper suddenly declared, Kowalski's legal mumbo-jumbo triggering him to return to consciousness. "Heck, for that spiel, make it 50 cents!"

"Do you want it in two quarters?" Kowalski asked. "Five dimes? One quarter, two dimes, and a nickel? Seven nickels, five pennies–"

"Kowalski!" Skipper exclaimed. "Just forget it."

"Very well," Kowalski replied. "Anyway, back to the matter at flipper: Skipper, in all the time that Marlene has been at this zoo, I've seen the way you've looked at her. In being your right-flipper man for all these years, I think I know by now how to interpret and analyze your behaviors. You love her, Skipper, and it's time you come to terms with it."

"Kowalski's right, Skipper," Private added. "We're not asking you two to set a wedding date yet, we only want to see you and Marlene finally admit what the rest of this zoo has known for ages. It would only require three little words."

Skipper then turned to Marlene.

"Do you believe these guys?" he asked. "They seriously expect me to admit that I've secretly had a crush on you since the day I first met you right in front of them? The nerve."

"I agree," Marlene smiled. "I find it difficult to even think about saying 'I love you' with an audience surrounding me."

Kowalski smiled, then quietly stood up and motioned for Rico and Private to follow him out. They complied.

"Mission accomplished, I reckon?" Private then whispered to Kowalski as the three waddled out of the HQ together.

"You know it," Kowalski replied as he quietly high-fived Private and Rico. "Boys, we've done good."


	18. Music to My Ears

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 18: "Music to My Ears"  
****Saturday, September 18, 2010**

For quite some time now, Skipper held onto a secret. Well, he held onto many, truthfully, but this particular one he considered especially personal and private: He was in love with the otter next door.

Though he had a history of simply filing anything he considered too confidential under the label "classified" and speaking nothing of it again, Skipper knew that the day would someday come when he had to reveal this secret to the subject of his affection, Marlene. Never good with emotions and too hardened a commando to just come out and say "I love you," Skipper thought his next best chance to win the otter's heart would be with music.

Each night for months, under the cover of darkness while his team slept and dreamt of sugarplums and anchovies, Skipper toiled to perfect his mastering of the instrument. As a perfectionist, he wanted everything to be just right when he finally played a tune for Marlene. Following months of practice and hundreds of feathers worn away from the tips of his flippers, Skipper was finally ready to put his plan into action. And so he went to visit Marlene.

"_Aaahh!_" Marlene screamed as Skipper suddenly entered her habitat through the manhole in her floor. "Skipper, you scared me. Again."

"Sorry about that," Skipper apologized, "my mind was somewhere else. Actually, it was thinking about something that I've been wanting to do for a long time."

Skipper then waddled over to Marlene, carrying the instrument he wished to play for her.

"Marlene, there's something I wish I could tell you in words, but I'm going to have to let my Spanish guitar speak for me instead," he said. "There are no lyrics to this song because I'm no good with mush, but the melody is what I feel in my heart when I think about you."

Skipper then cracked the bones in his flippers before he lifted the guitar into place. A right-flippered penguin, he strummed the strings with his right flipper and worked the frets with his left.

"Here's to you, dollface," he said as he then began to play the tune he had practiced for months.

For the next four minutes, Skipper played the song he had written to express his feelings to Marlene. When he neared the end of his beautiful serenade, Skipper looked into Marlene's eyes and, rather than conclude his piece, found the sudden inspiration to spontaneously continue the tune for an additional five minutes of song that he crafted right there and then.

When he finally finished playing, Marlene walked up to him. Skipper expected her to say something about his music, but instead she reached out and took Skipper's guitar from him and tossed it aside.

"I'll take it that you didn't like the performance," Skipper said sadly.

"No, I didn't like it," Marlene replied. "I loved it."

She then reached out to hug Skipper between her paws.

"But it was your heartfelt expression that touched me the most, Skipper, not the song you played or the instrument you played it on," she continued. "Your warm feelings are the true music to my ears."

Skipper smiled, knowing then that Marlene's heart was his.

* * *

**Scenario notes:** This scenario has a small conflict with my "Life After Love" story, but, as I've indicated at this project's start, "A Skilene-Filled September" is exempt from any required continuity or accord with any of my other works. I thought about writing some lyrics for the song that Skipper played on the Spanish guitar, but I decided that it would work better for Skipper to play the guitar because he didn't have the words or courage to directly tell Marlene that he loved her – learning to play her favorite instrument was the next best thing. Finally, Marlene's tossing of the guitar at the end is representative of a view I have always held about her Spanish guitar craze: Simply, Marlene is too smart to fall for someone just because he is a good Spanish guitar player. She has been shown to indeed be quite fond of the instrument, but because of her common sense approach to things, I cannot see her being so shallow as to fall for only the instrument and not the man behind it. Marlene is much smarter than that.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 18, 2010


	19. She's Back!

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 19: "She's Back!"  
****Sunday, September 19, 2010**

While Marlene was visiting with the penguins on top of their habitat's platform one sunny afternoon, the group suddenly noticed as the light of the sun shining over the enclosure was replaced by a large, bird-shaped shadow cast over it.

"Kowalski, is a shadow resembling a large bird of prey a natural phenomenon, or is this a cause for alarm?" Skipper turned to his first lieutenant and asked.

Kowalski then pulled out a pair of binoculars from nowhere and peered through them.

"Skipper, that's no shadow, it's a real falcon," he reported. "A rather familiar-looking falcon, in fact."

"You don't mean to say that it's–" Skipper began.

"Kitka!" Private greeted as the falcon suddenly landed in front of him. "We haven't seen you since–"

"Since you ate and nearly digested our not-so-bright acquaintance, Fred," Skipper stated as he waddled over to Kitka. "We needn't all be vegetarian hippies, my dear, but you can't go around eating animals that can talk, even if they are mammals."

"I suppose you are right, Skipper," Kitka replied.

"Indeed," Skipper continued. "Anyway, what brings you back to the zoo after all this time?"

"Why, you, Skipper," Kitka replied.

"Me?" Skipper wondered. "Why?"

"_Why?_" Kitka responded. "Well, we sort of had a thing going on for several days there all those months back and, well, I've missed you."

"But I told you that we should see other people," Skipper replied. "Haven't you moved on by now? I have."

"You've moved on?" Kitka questioned. "But I thought we were in love."

"Kitka, I don't think this is a discussion we should be having in front of the others," Skipper then stated. "Come with me to the other side of the platform so we can talk about this privately. And civilly."

The two then walked over to the far edge of the cement structure away from the other penguins and Marlene.

"Kitka, let me tell you something about when we were together," Skipper then spoke to her. "I enjoyed the times we had, I really did. But the truth is that even then I had feelings for someone else who was already part of this zoo."

"Then why did you go out with me?" Kitka wondered. "If you had feelings for another?"

"Because I knew that I wasn't the right one for her," Skipper replied. "I was hoping that being with you would at least give me some type of love in my life, but it just didn't work out. I suppose it's for the better, though, since I still do hold feelings for her."

Kitka rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Skipper, you're lying," she stated.

"No, that's the truth," Skipper responded.

"Then if you really do love another in this zoo, I dare you to point her out!" Kitka declared loud enough for the others to hear across the platform.

"Kitka, keep it down," Skipper responded.

"Do it or I'll eat someone you know!" Kitka yelled. "I haven't had lunch today, you know."

Skipper was put in a tight spot now; he really had no choice. He couldn't gamble on the safety of his friends, so he waddled across the platform and stood beside Marlene.

"It's her, Kitka," Skipper said. "Marlene is the one who I've always had a spot in my heart for."

"You have?" Marlene asked. "But isn't Kitka the falcon you once dated?"

"Indeed she was, Marlene," Skipper answered. "But I only went out with her because I knew that I wasn't right for you. You need someone truly special in your life, not someone–"

"Wait, you never wanted to tell me that you liked me because you felt you weren't good enough for me?" Marlene asked. "Skipper, I went out with Fred long ago because I felt I wasn't right for you. I was just hoping for some sort of love in my life to make up for the fact that I knew I could never be with you."

"Oh, Marlene, you should have never felt that way," Skipper replied. "Of course you're good enough for me; dollface, you're perfect."

"And you are just fine for me," Marlene smiled as she reached out and hugged Skipper.

Suddenly, Kitka flew over.

"Um, you're not going to eat me now, are you?" Marlene broke away from Skipper and asked.

Kitka smiled.

"Far be it for me to break up a happy couple," she replied. "But where does this leave me?"

Skipper then waddled up to her.

"Well, Miss Kitka, since you were a part of my life for nearly a full week, I sincerely do wish you the best," he said. "I'm sure you'll find someone special someday. Like you've just seen with Marlene and I, sometimes true love has been right under your nose all along. Or in my case, _beak_."

"Someplace like in Central Park?" Kitka wondered. "You know, now that I think about it, that squirrel fellow was rather cute."

"That's the ticket!" Skipper smiled.

"Goodbye, Skipper!" Kitka then said as she took off into the sky to find Fred in the park. "Goodbye, Marlene!"

"Bye!" the five out on the platform all waved.

Skipper then turned to Marlene.

"Isn't it strange how things came together today to result in the two of us being together?" he asked. "It's like something out of a cartoon. Actually, it's more like something someone would write based on the cartoon's characters that has no chance of ever appearing on the show."

"Let's not put too much thought into it, Skipper," Marlene replied. "Let's just enjoy the moment."

* * *

**Scenario notes:** Oh no, have I just created "Fritka," the pairing concept of Fred and Kitka? Well, whatever it takes to preserve the integrity of Skilene. The final exchange between Skipper and Marlene was not originally how I expected to end this scenario, but the idea of breaking the fourth wall a little just suddenly came to me and I couldn't resist doing it.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 19, 2010


	20. Survival Skills

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 20: "Survival Skills"  
****Monday, September 20, 2010**

As the worst blizzard to hit New York City so far in the 21st century unleashed its icy fury upon the zoo, the penguin team worked hard to try to open a stuck heating vent inside of Marlene's habitat. However, after hours of trying to force the vent open proved unsuccessful, the team had no other option but to concede defeat.

"Sorry, Marlene, but it would appear that we are still in a jam," Kowalski then stated. "Quite literally, I might add."

"What about kaboom?" Rico asked as he hacked-up a stick of dynamite, the only option the penguins had not yet tried.

"Not today, Rico," Kowalski answered. "With all the snowfall outside, it's much too risky. The vibrations resulting from explosive detonation might be all that is needed to trigger an avalanche."

As Rico re-swallowed his dynamite in disappointment, Marlene walked up to Skipper.

"Without heat in here, it's going to get awfully cold," she said. "What am I going to do now?"

"Freeze, probably," Skipper answered. "What a shame."

Marlene raised an eyebrow.

"I'm only kidding," Skipper chuckled. "You can come back to the HQ and stay with us for a while. I'm not sure how fun it will be for you, but it'll at least be warm."

"Thanks, Skipper," Marlene smiled.

As they finished talking, Skipper and Marlene noticed that Kowalski, Rico, and Private had already left Marlene's cave and were just outside of it.

"Let's go, Marlene," Skipper then said. "I don't want to get too far behind the others in weather like this."

"Can I just grab a few things to take with me real quick?" Marlene asked.

"Like?" Skipper inquired.

"Oh, just the essentials," Marlene replied. "A few oysters, my pillow, my Spanish guitar – the usual stuff."

"Fine, but be quick," Skipper said.

Meanwhile, as Kowalski, Rico, and Private were continuing making their way back to the HQ, they spotted Julien running around in the snow like a madman.

"You don't get weather like this in Madagascar!" Julien said as he dove onto the snow-covered ground and proceeded to make a snow angel with his body. "Look, I just made a snow sky spirit!"

"Julien, no animal should be out in this kind of weather," Kowalski called over to him, "especially a lemur from a warm island climate."

"What? I can't hear you over my so-happy-for-snow yodeling," Julien replied. "Yodel-ay-hee-hoo! Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!"

Just then, Kowalski heard a rumble. He turned to where the sound was coming from, but there was nothing he could do but watch – an unstoppable rush of snow slid down from above and around Marlene's cave and sealed off its entrance, the end result of an ill-timed yodel.

"Kowalski," Private then said, "do tell me that Skipper and Marlene have already made it out of there."

But they had not.

"Holy fried flounder!" Skipper exclaimed once the avalanche had stopped. "It looks like Kowalski was right about the avalanche threat."

"So, are we trapped?" Marlene asked.

Skipper waddled over to the entrance of Marlene's habitat and poked at the snow that was blocking the exit with a flipper.

"I'm afraid so," he reported. "The snow is packed solid, and I'm sure it's quite deep. Unfortunately, since I have no tools myself, we'll just have to wait for a rescue."

"How long?" Marlene asked.

"A day or two, probably," Skipper replied. "The boys know where we are, so that's a plus. But we'll have to rely on our survival skills in the meantime."

Just then, Skipper began to notice Marlene starting to shiver from the cold. Though he preferred temperate conditions himself, as a penguin, he had a far greater natural tolerance for the cold than Marlene had. He knew he had to do something to help Marlene keep warm. And do it soon.

"And speaking of survival skills, you look like you could use one right about now," he said as he pressed his body close to Marlene's and held onto her with his flippers. "You probably know that I'm not big on hugs, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Stay close and hold onto me, Marlene, and we'll keep each other warm."

Marlene smiled, then reached out to hold onto Skipper.

"Thank you," she said. "You know, if I had to be trapped in a snowbound cave with anyone, I'm glad it's with you."

As the two continued to keep warm together for a while, Skipper stared into Marlene's eyes, for there was really nowhere else to look. After a while, he chuckled.

"What is it, Skipper?" Marlene asked.

"Oh, nothing," Skipper replied as he tried to turn away from her slightly. "It's just that this actually feels pretty good. I guess hugs aren't so overrated after all."

Marlene blushed.

"You know, since we're trapped together anyway, maybe I'll let you in on a little secret," she said. "You're a very nice guy, and I think I might just have a crush on you."

Skipper smiled.

"Oh, Marlene, I think I've got one on you, too," he said. "You know, I'm actually glad in a way that we're stuck here together because it got us to finally admit our feelings. If only we could use the warmth of your heart and the heat of your smile to melt the snow away, we could be out of here right now."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Marlene responded as she began to tear up.

"I know it was, dollface," Skipper replied as he wiped away a tear from Marlene's face with a flipper. "But you can't cry now or your tears will freeze."


	21. No One?

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 21: "No One?"  
****Tuesday, September 21, 2010**

As Skipper entered Marlene's habitat one day, he saw as she quickly shoved a piece of paper she was looking at out of sight.

"Trying to hide the evidence, eh?" he asked as he waddled up to her.

"Evidence?" Marlene wondered. "What evidence? I didn't commit any crime here."

"Then why else would you hide something at the same precise moment that I came in?" Skipper inquired. "Now are you going to fess up the easy way, or do I have to go get Private?"

"Why would you get Private?" Marlene wondered.

"Private would be the good cop," Skipper explained, "which would thus make me the–"

"Skipper, you've seen way too many police films," Marlene broke-in as she then reached for the paper she had hastily stashed and handed it to Skipper. "See, it's just a photograph, not part of some infamous crime or nefarious conspiracy. Next time, have a chill pill with your coffee and donuts, officer."

Skipper then looked at the photo for a few seconds before he commented.

"A photo of Fred?" he asked. "Marlene, it's been a month since the two of you broke-up, so why are you still looking at it?"

"Do I need to answer that?" Marlene asked.

"Well, you do have the right to remain silent," Skipper replied.

Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Skipper, could we please move on from the whole interrogation thing now?" she asked. "Could we just talk as friends?"

Skipper nodded.

"Go ahead," he said.

"Well, the truth is that I really don't have any feelings for Fred anymore," Marlene continued. "I'm the one who broke-up with him, after all. I was just looking at that photo of him because I felt a little bit lonely and wanted to remember that once, even if it was with the wrong guy, I was not alone."

"What makes you feel lonely?" Skipper asked.

"Because I really am just a single otter in the big city," Marlene responded. "And also because, well, I know now that it will always be that way for me."

She then began to tear up a little.

"No one could ever love me," she said sadly.

Skipper then moved closer to her and put a flipper on her back to comfort her.

"That's not true," he said. "I do."

"You what?" Marlene asked.

Skipper then held Marlene a little tighter.

"Marlene, if you think that no one out there could ever love you, you should know that I do," he said. "I love you very much."

Skipper was holding Marlene tight enough that he felt it when hear heart skipped a beat.

"R-r-really?" she stuttered in reply, Skipper's words having caught her off guard. "You really love me, too?"

"_Too?_" Skipper responded with a smile. "Marlene, what's that all about?"

"Um," Marlene began, realizing then that she had just let it slip that she held feelings for Skipper as well. "Well, um, you see–"

She then reached out her paws and hugged Skipper.

"You're smart enough to figure it out what I meant by it," she smiled.

And she was lonely no more.


	22. And That's the Truth

**_A Skilene-Filled September  
_****Scenario 22: "And That's the Truth"  
****Wednesday, September 22, 2010**

"Steady, steady, just one more wire," Kowalski said as he carefully joined the final connections together on his latest scientific pursuit. "Yes! It is complete!"

"I'm glad you're finished, Kowalski," Skipper then waddled over and said, "but was spending the last three days creating a lie detector really necessary? I mean, don't we trust each other to tell the truth around here?"

"Again, Skipper, the proper name for this device is a _polygraph_," Kowalski replied. "And it's not really so much for affirming the validity of our statements to each other; rather, it could prove quite valuable in the questioning of an enemy."

"Well, I suppose any new tool that gives us an advantage over our foes is worth trying," Skipper responded. "But does it work?"

"Of course it works, I made it myself," Kowalski stated proudly, then turned to Private. "But we should probably test it out anyway. Private, go clip on the sensors, please."

"Oh, come on, you're asking 'Honest Abe' to help test your new gadget?" Skipper asked sarcastically. "What are you going to do, ask him if he doesn't like unicorns?"

"Are you volunteering instead?" Kowalski asked.

"If you want to truly get some data you can use, I am," Skipper replied.

Skipper then pulled out a cinderblock in front of Kowalski's polygraph table and took a seat down on it. Kowalski and Private then attached the unit's various sensors to their proper places around Skipper's body. Once everything was connected properly, Kowalski sat down across from Skipper and Private stood nearby to observe.

"No tricks, Kowalski," Skipper declared firmly to his first lieutenant. "Don't abuse your ability to question me, and don't forget that I am still your commanding officer."

"Got it," Kowalski replied. "Now you are connected to a device that will determine if your responses to my questions are truthful or not. Its sensors will record your blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and how much sweat you produce. Anyway, let us now begin with a simple question: Is your name Skipper?"

"Yes," Skipper replied.

"True," Kowalski replied after finding Skipper's statement factual, then continued along with the next question. "Have you ever traveled to Mars, Saturn, or Neptune?"

Skipper rolled his eyes at the utter absurdity of the question, then replied.

"No," he replied. "But don't ask about Jupiter, that's classified."

"True," Kowalski stated. "Have you ever wished that you had my IQ?"

"Don't push it, soldier," Skipper declared.

Kowalski looked down at the lines produced by the sensors' needles.

"I'm going to interpret that as a 'yes' response," he said. "Anyway, moving forward, do you believe–"

"Hey, guys!" Marlene greeted cheerfully as she suddenly entered the HQ. "What are you all up to?"

"Kowalski is testing his new lie detector on Skipper," Private answered. "Come take a look, Marlene, and ask Skipper a question or two."

"Again, this is called a 'polygraph,'" Kowalski stated. "And while I don't mind Marlene watching, I cannot allow her to ask any questions because she is not trained in the fine art of polygraphy."

Marlene rolled her eyes as she then walked over.

"Since when is asking someone a simple question an 'art'?" she asked as she approached Kowalski and began to sit down on the same cinderblock he was sitting on. "Shove over, Einstein, I'm going to give this a whirl."

Seeing as Marlene was quite determined, Kowalski stood up and vacated his cinderblock for her.

"OK, Marlene, I suppose you asking a few questions won't hurt," he said. "But I'll still be right here to interpret the data to see if Skipper's responses are truthful or deceptions."

Marlene nodded, then focused her attention on Skipper.

"So, Skipper, what's the deal with those Danes?" she asked.

The needles on the polygraph then began to jump all over the place. In fact, they were twitching back and fourth at about the same rate as Skipper's left eye.

"The question must be one to which Skipper can respond 'yes' or 'no,'" Kowalski then stated. "Though I'm sure Skipper would not wish to talk about his past in Denmark anyway, even if he did, the polygraph is meant to serve primarily as just an indicator of the validity of yes/no questions."

"Ah," Marlene replied, understanding at least most of what Kowalski was trying to convey. "I'll ask something else, then. Skipper, have you ever walked in your sleep and eaten something out of the refrigerator?"

"Strange question, Marlene, but the boys have told me that I have at least once," Skipper replied. "Yes."

"True," Kowalski reported upon looking at the data. "And for the record, it was a tuna casserole you were eating at the time."

Marlene chuckled just thinking about how that whole scenario must have went.

"Next question," she said, "have you ever fallen in love?"

Skipper rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he replied, though he would have preferred not to. "You know all about that hula doll and Kitka already, so let's not continue to dwell on the past."

"True," Kowalski reported.

"Well, if you don't want to talk about the past, what about now?" Marlene continued along. "Are you in love with anybody in this zoo right now?"

Skipper looked to Kowalski, glanced down at the polygraph needles, then turned back to Marlene.

"No," he answered.

"Lie!" Kowalski declared.

Skipper bit down on his tongue – he had been caught. He tried to stand up to get away, but Kowalski blocked him with a flipper.

"Ooh, Skipper, who's the special lady?" Marlene then asked. "Is it Darla?"

Skipper remained silent, but the needles spoke for him. Kowalski analyzed the data and made a conclusion.

"It's not Darla," he said.

"Doris?" Marlene asked.

"Not her, either," Kowalski reported.

"One of the lady flamingos?" Marlene inquired.

"Negative," Kowalski declared.

"Then, what females are left except for me?" she wondered.

"Bingo!" Kowalski declared. "We have a winner!"

Skipper blushed and chuckled shyly.

"Well, um, how 'bout that," he said. "Oh, Marlene, I certainly hope you're not mad or anything."

Marlene smiled widely. She then got up and stood right beside Skipper.

"I'm not mad," she said. "Now get all those wires and sensors off and give me a big hug."

And that's the way it was. And that's the truth.


	23. Out for a Drive

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 23: "Out for a Drive"  
****Thursday, September 23, 2010**

"Whoa!" Skipper, alone behind the wheel of the penguins' car, exclaimed as he swerved suddenly to avoid hitting Marlene, who had inadvertently stepped out from behind a trash can and into Skipper's path. "That was close!"

He then stopped the car and got out to check on Marlene.

"Marlene, are you OK?" he asked as he waddled over to her.

"Yeah," Marlene replied. "A little shaken up, but I've been through worse. I suppose if I can survive being eaten by a snake, I can handle pretty much any other close call."

"Well, I'm glad you're all right," Skipper continued. "For a second there, I thought I was about to match Kowalski's driving record."

"What did he do?" Marlene wondered.

"He accidentally backed over Private once," Skipper replied. "That's a few points against his license."

"Wow," Marlene responded. "Remind me not to take a ride with him."

"Will do," Skipper replied.

Skipper then turned to return to the car, but suddenly turned back to Marlene instead.

"Hey, Marlene, want to go for a drive?" he asked.

"Really?" Marlene inquired. "But I thought civilians weren't allowed in official Penguin Unit vehicles. Isn't it against the rules?"

"Marlene, I'm the Skipper – I make the rules," Skipper replied. "Besides, you can consider it as a little apology from me for almost making you into a hood ornament. What do you say?"

"OK," Marlene agreed as she and Skipper made their way over to the car together. "It actually sounds like it could be fun."

After the two got into the car, Skipper drove Marlene on a tour of the zoo. She very much enjoyed the ride, and when it was over, she found herself disappointed.

"Oh, I wish we could keep driving," she said as Skipper pulled over to drop her off in front of her habitat. "It's been a lot of fun."

"Marlene, we've seen this whole zoo," Skipper said. "There's not really much more to see around here unless we drive into the city."

"Could we?" Marlene asked as she turned to Skipper and smiled. "Please?"

Skipper nodded.

"All right," he said as he shifted the car back into drive.

Skipper and Marlene then drove out of the zoo's south exit and proceeded on into the city. They drove into Midtown, past the Empire State Building, and over the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn.

After exploring the general area for a while, they somehow made their way over to a beautifully scenic area by the shore that appeared to be a small, secluded cove.

"Can we stop and sit for a while?" Marlene then asked. "This place is just amazing."

Skipper glanced down at the clock in the car.

"For a very short while," he said as he stopped the car and shut it off. "It's 1806 now, and I've got to be back at the HQ by 1930."

The two then sat in the car together as they took in the sight before their eyes. And it was quite a sight indeed, remarkably calming and serene for the big city. It was quite understandable, then, that the two soon lost track of time – long past 1930 – as they lost themselves in the picturesque view.

The scene only became more spectacular as the day waned on. And as the sun began to set, Marlene couldn't help herself – she reached out an arm and unknowingly placed it around Skipper's neck.

"Oh my goodness!" she soon said as she realized what she had done and pulled her arm away. "Skipper, I'm so sorry."

Skipper turned to Marlene and smiled.

"Don't be," he said as he reached out a flipper and placed it behind Marlene's neck. "I really don't mind at all."

Marlene then placed her arm back around Skipper.

"I guess you must have a soft spot for sunsets," she said as she smiled.

"Maybe," Skipper replied. "But I have an even softer spot for you."

* * *

**Publication note:** My apologies for not publishing this scenario on time, but I again ran into unforeseen computer troubles: This time, my keyboard died. I have now acquired a new one which directly plugs into one of my computer's USB ports, but without a usable keyboard yesterday, I obviously had no way of typing up a scenario. However, the above scenario was still written on time on September 23 – as required under my project rules – only I had to write it all out by hand on a yellow legal pad before finally typing it up once I got my new keyboard. I thank you for your understanding and for your continued support of "A Skilene-Filled September."

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 24, 2010


	24. Serendipity

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 24: "Serendipity"  
****Friday, September 24, 2010**

After months of hard work and practice when not on duty, Private felt he had finally mastered the art of hypnosis. Proud of himself and eager to show off his skills, he asked his friends throughout the zoo to come out to watch him put on a hypnosis show for them.

When the day for the exhibition came, it was a full house.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out this afternoon," Private said as he took to the makeshift stage set up on the platform of the penguin habitat. "In order for my show to get started, I will be needing a volunteer from the audience."

"Oh, pick me! Pick me!" Mort called as he jumped up and down trying to be seen.

"Silly Mort, you cannot be chosen as a volunteer because I, the king, have already appointed myself to be the volunteer," Julien said as he then forced his way past the others in the audience and made his way on stage without Private even calling on him first.

"Oh, OK, I guess King Julien will be my first volunteer," Private said as Julien suddenly appeared beside him. "Hmm, now let me think what hypnotic trick would be best to use."

Private thought it over for a few seconds, then looked to Julien.

"I think I've got it," he said. "Julien, you hate fish, correct?"

"Oh, the fishy fish is the worst!" Julien replied. "It is just terrible! And awful! And also very bad!"

"Good," Private said as he turned back to the audience. "For my first trick, I will hypnotize King Julien so that he craves to eat nothing but fish."

"Say what now?" Julien questioned.

"It will only be for a few minutes, I assure you," Private answered. "Don't worry, you'll be back to hating fish in no time."

"Well, I better," Julien stated as he then approached Private. "OK, my flightless friend, let's get this show on the road."

Private then pulled out his prized pocket watch – itself a family heirloom given to him by his Uncle Nigel – and carefully dangled it by its chain.

"OK, Julien, keep your eyes focused on the watch," he said as he began to rock the timepiece back and fourth. "Think of nothing but the watch and the sound of my voice. Listen and obey, listen and obey. When I snap my fingers – er, clap my flippers together three times – you will have a craving for catfish, an appetite for albacore, a taste for tuna."

Private then placed the pocket watch in his beak for a moment and then proceeded to clap his flippers together thrice.

"I am royalty, and I demand fish!" Julien then declared authoritatively. "I must snack on sardines, munch on mackerel, feast on flounder! Oh, I must sample every fish and savor its flavor!"

The audience then clapped for Private and the hypnotic state he had placed Julien under with success.

"Thank you, thank you," Private smiled at the crowd. "Now Julien will only remain in a fish frenzy for about another five minutes, so in the meantime, could I get another volunteer for my next act?"

"You got a lemur to crave fish, soldier, and even if it's just temporary, that's certainly worth a lot of respect in my book," Skipper then stood up and called out. "I'll gladly volunteer to be your next volunteer, Private."

"Thank you, Skipper," Private replied as Skipper came on stage.

When Skipper came up to him, Private again took out his watch.

"Now for Skipper, I am going to–" Private began before Skipper broke-in upon having a dreadful thought.

"Private, I'm going to be nice and let you try pretty much anything you want, but if you make me act like a hippie for even just one second, you will face a court-martial," Skipper warned. "Anyway, now that that's clear, go ahead and proceed, soldier."

"Oh, I wasn't going to do that, Skipper," Private then reassured. "I was going to do the complete opposite, actually. I was going to put you under a trance and make you believe that you were General George S. Patton."

"Splendid!" Skipper then smiled. "Well, let's get to it."

Private then began to swing his watch.

"Keep your eyes focused on the watch," he said. "Think of nothing but the watch and the sound of my voice. Listen and obey, listen and obey. When I clap my flippers together three times, you will be that of a four-star general. You will become Patton."

Private then again placed his watch in his beak and then clapped three times.

"I love Marlene," Skipper then said. "She is absolutely someone I adore."

Private turned his head in confusion. He then looked to find Kowalski in the audience and called over to him.

"Kowalski, General Patton's wife's name wasn't Marlene by any chance, was it?" he asked.

"Negative," Kowalski responded. "Her name was Beatrice."

Skipper then dove off the platform, swam through the water, and exited the penguin habitat through the bars of the gate surrounding it and walked through the audience until he found Marlene.

"Marlene, I don't have the words to tell you how much you mean to me, but you are a very, very special otter," he told her.

Marlene had only intended on coming to watch Private's hypnosis show; she was not expecting to be on the receiving end of such affection. But she couldn't help but smile at it all, for she actually had secretly liked Skipper for a while herself.

"Aww, that's so sweet," she said in reply. "You know, you're actually a very, very special penguin to me, too."

As Marlene then reached out to hug Skipper, Private looked down at his pocket watch and suddenly realized what had happened.

"Oh, I know now," he said quietly to himself. "I said the right invocation for a Patton-based hypnotic state, but I accidentally swung the watch in the wrong pattern, one which prompts the subject to reveal the feelings deep in their heart."

He then glanced over at Skipper and Marlene embracing each other and chuckled happily.

"It might not be Patton, but I think I can still consider this one a success," he said to himself as he smiled. "How serendipitous love can be."


	25. We Go Together

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 25: "We Go Together"  
****Saturday, September 25, 2010**

To the untrained observer, Skipper and Marlene had a wide chasm of differences between them. One need only compare the fact that Skipper was a military man who concentrated on achieving results as quickly as possible, and that Marlene would rather think things through fully before beginning to act, to see it. Indeed, their personalities were not the same, and far from it.

However, despite their differences, Skipper and Marlene actually shared a lot of common ground. Both were part of the "good side," never wishing to see or do evil in the world, and instead dedicated to only doing what they felt in their heart to be right. Though they had different methods of going about life and reconciling its problems, both shared the same desire for a particular outcome to result in these situations. Their belief system was harmonious; their values in accord. When push came to shove, both would push.

It was because of their similarities that Skipper and Marlene found it easy to be friends despite their different ways of doing things. Their common ground formed a bond between them, and drew them closer over time. It was almost like they still shared a connection even when apart. It made sense, then, for the two to hold each other in high regard, and even for one to hold far more tender feelings in their heart for the other than they would ever let on. Or even if they both shared these feelings.

Privately in her habitat, Marlene thought about her and Skipper's closeness one night.

"What can I say, things just always seem to work out when Skipper and I put our heads together," she thought to herself. "We're like …"

"Cheese and crackers!" Skipper said to himself, alone at the HQ at this same exact moment, unknowingly finishing Marlene's thought for her in the habitat across the way. "Marlene and I really go together well, like cheese and crackers, peas and carrots, butter and toast."

"… spaghetti and meatballs, peanut butter and jelly," Marlene continued in her own habitat. "We both complement each other well and create balance and harmony."

"I am a nuclear weapon, and Marlene is my uranium," Skipper continued to himself. "She is a very critical component, and makes something simple and basic into something complex and special."

"We have more in common …" Marlene began in her habitat.

"… than we have which divides us," Skipper completed in his. "Oh, I wish I could just tell her …"

"… tell him the way I feel," Marlene said.

Somehow, the bond which Skipper and Marlene shared had mysteriously joined together to allow them to complete each other's thoughts and sentences despite the fact that they were a habitat apart. A force this powerful and profound could only ever be one thing: love. And it wasn't about to let up anytime soon.

Just then, Skipper and Marlene both exited their habitats and proceeded as fast as they could to each other's habitat. Both were ready to give each other their heart.

Neither made it all the way to the other's habitat, however. With both Skipper and Marlene heading right towards each other, they met in the middle. Or rather, they walked straight into each other.

Both smiled as they collided in the darkness.

"Marlene, I need to tell you something," Skipper then looked into her eyes and said.

"And I have something to tell you, too," Marlene responded as she reached out to hug Skipper. "Let's both say it together."

Skipper then reached out his flippers and hugged Marlene back.

"OK," he said. "On a count of three, let's do it. One, two, three."

"I love you," they both said in perfect harmony.

* * *

**Scenario note:** This scenario was interesting to work on, since I decided to play around with the dialogue scheme and essentially have Skipper and Marlene complete parts of each other's sentences midway through. Doing such is not something I've done before, and not what I intended to do when I began writing this scenario. Skipper and Marlene saying "I love you" at the end in unison was actually the only thing that was a sure thing when I began writing; the idea to have them complete each other's thoughts just came to me during the rest of the writing process. Hopefully, the complete prose of this scenario was understandable and my "completing the sentence" attempt was a success.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 25, 2010


	26. Right Where I Left You

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 26: "Right Where I Left You"  
****Sunday, September 26, 2010**

"So hot!" Mort said out loud as he walked past Marlene's habitat with his tongue hanging out on a scorching, 100-degree day at the zoo. "So dry!"

Upon noticing the tiny lemur struggling, Marlene flipped over her habitat's wall and went over to him.

"Are you OK, Mort?" she asked. "You look like you could use something cold. You can come over for a while if you want – I have iced tea."

"I like iced tea!" Mort smiled as he then climbed over the wall of Marlene's habitat. "Yay!"

"Mort, is there anything you _don't_ like?" Marlene couldn't help but ask as she climbed back over the wall herself, but he was too far ahead of her to hear.

Once inside her habitat, Marlene poured Mort a tall glass of iced tea, as well as one for herself. Before long, both glasses were empty, so Marlene refilled them. With the temperature so high outside, however, both Mort and Marlene quickly drank their second glasses, followed by their third and fourth. Suddenly, before she knew it, Marlene had run out of iced tea.

"That's it," Marlene said as she shook the empty plastic bottle to make sure she had gotten every last drop out of it. "I'm afraid there is no more iced tea left."

"Oh," Mort said sadly. "I don't like that."

Marlene then took a good look at Mort and thought that he still looked a bit overheated. She thought for a moment about what she could now do to cool him off some more, knowing that going in her pond was not really a viable option since Mort was not much of a swimmer.

An idea soon struck her.

"I could get us some snow cones," she said. "There's a stand inside of the park."

"Um, didn't you go crazy that time when you left the zoo?" Mort asked.

"King Julien told you about that, huh?" Marlene replied. "Well, it's true that I'm not very good outside of the zoo, but I bet if I run in and grab a few snow cones really fast, I could probably wing it."

"Yay!" Mort cheered.

A few minutes later, Marlene left Mort sitting by a fan as she left her habitat and proceeded to the edge of the zoo confines. There, she stood for a moment and stretched in preparation of sprinting into and out of Central Park as quickly as possible. And after she took a few deep breaths, she ran into the park in the direction of her objective.

Pretty soon, she reached the snow cone stand and, seeing as no humans were around to interfere, quickly opened up the poorly secured freezer and removed four snow cones, figuring that she and Mort could each have two. She then closed the freezer and smiled, knowing that more than half of her mission so far was a success.

Then it happened.

It came first as a twitch of her right eye, then as a jerk of her left leg. Her nose wiggled. Her fur stood up on end. And before long, she began to growl.

She had reverted to her feral state.

Meanwhile, over at the penguins' HQ, Skipper was about to take his first look through the periscope since he had cleaned its lens a few minutes before.

"What in the name of all that is good and decent is that?" he exclaimed as he peered through the periscope and spotted Marlene out in the park in all her wildness. "Kowalski, come take a look at this!"

"It appears to be some mad mustelid," Kowalski reported as he looked through the periscope.

He then spotted Marlene's telltale white foot and gasped.

"It's Marlene!" he said. "And she's in the park, Skipper! She's gone wild – again!"

"Well, boys, it looks like we've got an otter to obtain," Skipper declared. "Commence Operation: Bugalalahu!"

"_Bugalalahu?_" Kowalski wondered. "What's up with that?"

"You should know, Kowalski," Skipper replied. "Isn't that the technical term you gave to Marlene's wild side? Forgive me if my pronunciation is a little off."

"Ah, I see," Kowalski responded as Rico and Private then waddled over. "And yes, your pronunciation is a little off, but we'll talk about that later."

With that, the team left the HQ and proceeded quickly to where Marlene had last been spotted in Central Park.

Just like they had the first time, they found Marlene up in a tree. Only this time she was armed.

"Incoming!" Private yelled as he ducked out of the way of the flying rainbow snow cones Marlene threw at them.

Private, Skipper, and Kowalski managed to dodge the frozen assault, but Rico took a direct hit to the face. But he didn't seem to mind as he promptly licked the remnants of the sweet ice away.

"Yum!" he said.

Marlene then hissed at them and climbed down from the tree. Private tried to block her from getting away, but ended up being picked up and tossed a short distance in the process, which knocked the wind out of him for the time being.

"Rico, let's try a net!" Skipper then stated.

Rico then regurgitated a large trapping net and carried it with him as he carefully waddled close to Marlene. When he got as close as he could without making himself a target, he threw it at her and trapped her under it.

"Way to go, Rico!" Skipper smiled.

But just as he was about to high-five Rico for a job well done, Marlene chewed through the rope and escaped. She then carried the net with her as she ran over to Rico and proceeded entangle him with it, taking him out of commission, at least for the time it would take to cut through it himself.

Kowalski then pulled out his abacus to try to calculate his next move, but Marlene suddenly appeared beside him and took it away from him. She then pulled a side off of it and flung its beads into the air.

"Hey, that's an antique!" Kowalski yelled as he began searching to recover the tiny components.

As Kowalski scrambled to locate the beads, Skipper was suddenly the only one left to take down Marlene. He looked down at his right flipper, in which he held a single tranquilizer dart. If he could just get close enough to Marlene, he might be able to–

"No!" Skipper then declared as he tossed the dart aside. "I hate needles, so I'm sure not going to poke a friend with one. I've got to win this battle another way."

He then began to think about what strategy he could use, but his time ran out when Marlene suddenly stood in front of him. But rather than try to get away, he smiled, having made up his mind about which tactic to use.

"Come here, dollface," he said as he reached out and gave Marlene a hug. "I love you."

What happened next was unbelievable. It came first as a twitch of Marlene's left eye, then as a jerk of her right leg. Her nose wiggled. Her fur became smooth. And before long, she began to smile.

"Skipper, where am I?" a now-normal Marlene suddenly asked.

"In my heart," Skipper replied, "right where I left you."

* * *

**Scenario note:** This scenario conflicts with my "Freedom Isn't Free" story, in which I "cured" Marlene of her wildness, but due to the "Badger Pride" episode, this scenario is still theoretically plausible under the canon presentation. How nice it would be if Marlene really could be cured simply because of how much Skipper cares about her.

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 26, 2010


	27. When There Was Still Time

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 27: "When There Was Still Time"  
****Monday, September 27, 2010**

As the clock now struck 0300, Skipper continued to toss and turn in his bunk. For whatever reason – perhaps due to a few too many fish coffees throughout the day, perhaps because his mind was preoccupied fearing the latest conspiracy – the poor penguin just couldn't catch a wink of sleep.

Rather than continue along with his insomnia, Skipper decided to hop out of bed for a while to see if watching something on TV might help him get sleepy enough to fall asleep. And so he waddled over to the TV and turned it on at a low volume.

"_I'm Chuck Charles. Now back to you, Bonnie,"_ said Chuck Charles on the TV news program that was on the channel Skipper first turned to.

"And apparently you can't sleep either, Chucky," Skipper then commented to himself as he changed the channel.

He then began to flip through the channels but, despite the penguins' having an impressive satellite package consisting of several hundred channels, couldn't seem to have any luck finding something worth watching. Then, suddenly, one black and white movie caught his attention.

"_Why, doctor, you know there's always time for love,"_ said the male surgeon to his female assistant in the film that Skipper had stumbled on.

Skipper quickly turned the TV off before the two doctors kissed with their masks still on.

"No, doctor, there isn't any time for love," Skipper then said as he threw the remote control at the TV screen. "Not anymore."

Skipper then sat quietly for several minutes, trying hard not to think about it. But it seemed the harder he tried, the more he thought about love. Or, better stated, the one he had loved.

"I had so many chances, but I threw them all away," he thought sadly to himself. "I could have told you that I loved you, but now you've moved away. Oh, Marlene, how I miss you."

It was five years earlier that it had happened. It was just a regular day at the zoo when all of a sudden Alice captured Marlene with a net, placed her in a crate, and shipped her back to her old aquarium in California. There was never any warning; it just happened. And no one had heard from her since.

"If only I could go back all those years I know I could have found a way to keep you here in New York," Skipper continued whispering to himself. "And I would have told you just how much I cared about you. And how much I still do."

After a few more moments of reflection, Skipper stood up from sitting in front of the TV and waddled back toward his bunk. He figured that with the movie having reminded him about his lost love, he'd probably be able to cry himself to sleep and finally get some shut-eye after all. But his waddle to his bunk was suddenly halted when he tripped over one of Kowalski's latest inventions simply lying on the floor.

"Kowalski!" Skipper yelled, taking the name of the object's inventor in vain, as he fell on his face. "Science is literally starting to get in the way around here."

"If you say so," Kowalski rolled over in his bunk and said in his sleep as Skipper got up from the floor.

"Science," Skipper chuckled to himself, "it can't solve everything."

But then suddenly a thought entered Skipper's mind.

"Or can it?" he said as a smile began to form.

Quickly, Skipper turned and proceeded over to Kowalski's lab and entered it. Inside he began a frantic search.

"Come on, where is it?" he said as he began to dig through box after box of Kowalski's inventions and equipment. "You never make just one of anything, Kowalski, I know you've got another Chronotron around her somewhere."

And then, victory.

"Yes!" Skipper stated joyously as he found Kowalski's apparent spare Chronotron and placed it on the lab table. "The Skipper is going back in time!"

After a short few minutes, Skipper successfully assembled the device and fired it up. But knowing how Kowalski's other Chronotron had acted five years ago, Skipper quickly scribbled down a note to leave for the others in case there were any problems.

_Boys,_

_I've gone back to 2010 for a while. If I'm not back in a few days, have Rico do his thing to get me out of this mess._

_Thanks,  
__-Skipper_

_P.S.: I plan to take the long way back and go through 1968. I'll be sure to slap a hippie or two for each of you._

With that now taken care of, Skipper then looked into the purple labyrinth that was the portal to the past. He saluted it, hoping his display of respect might be enough to grant him safe passage, and then he climbed into the swirling vortex.

"I'm coming, Marlene!" he said as he traversed through the space-time continuum, his voice soon becoming distant in the world which he left in 2015.

Within seconds, Skipper made a successful reentry into 2010, emerging inside of Marlene's habitat while the otter was sleeping at night.

"Aaahh!" she screamed as she shot up in bed, startled awake by the sound of Skipper traveling back five years. "Skipper, it's very late. And how many times do I have to tell you to please use my door?"

"Marlene!" Skipper smiled as he ran to her and hugged her. "It's kind of hard to use your door coming from where I came from, but I am sure glad to see you again."

"Um, Skipper, you just saw me yesterday," Marlene responded, unsure of what Skipper was getting at. "You'll see me again today, and again tomorrow. You see me every day. Am I missing something here?"

"Marlene, I don't know how to tell you this, but while you may have seen me yesterday, I haven't seen you in five years," Skipper replied. "Five painful years. You see, I've come from the future to try to fix the past and to tell you something I should have said a long time ago."

Somehow, probably because of how well she knew him, Marlene knew that every word Skipper was speaking was true. He was never one to play some trick on her; she had no reason not to take him at his word.

"What is it?" Marlene asked.

"I've come to tell you that I love you," Skipper said as he looked straight into Marlene's eyes. "And that I haven't been the same since we've been apart."

Marlene smiled sweetly.

"Aww, Skipper, we'll never be far from each other, especially because I feel the same way about you, too," she said as she returned Skipper's embrace. "So what went wrong in the future?"

"You were suddenly taken back to California, and as of 2015, we had never heard from you again," Skipper replied. "It's been the saddest five years of my life, but I'm going to stop it. I'm going to make sure that you are always here in New York with me forever."

But then Skipper remembered his note he had left sitting on Kowalski's lab table in 2015: _If I'm not back in a few days, have Rico do his thing to get me out of this mess._ He realized then that he wouldn't have enough time to change the past before the boys launched a transdimensional rescue mission for him, which might result in him never succeeding in making things right and thus never patching his broken heart.

But there was still another option on the table.

"Marlene, are you willing to take a leap of faith?" Skipper then asked her. "I've just realized a flaw in my original plan, so I'm going to have to redefine objectives to make this work and keep us together."

"Whatever it takes, Skipper," Marlene replied. "There's no way I'm going to leave you."

Skipper then let go of Marlene with one of his flippers and pointed at the Chronotron portal he had come out of.

"Then it's onward to the future, my dear," he said. "You'll come back to 2015 New York with me."

Marlene then got up and walked with Skipper over to the opening of time and space. She looked into it for a moment, then turned to Skipper.

"Skipper, before we go back to the Central Park Zoo of 2015, could we make a short detour first?" she asked.

"I don't see why not," Skipper replied. "Where do you want to go?"

"To California," Marlene replied. "Because I know that there's a sad otter sitting there in the future thinking about you, and I want to let her know that everything will be OK."


	28. Talking Works

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 28: "Talking Works"  
****Tuesday, September 28, 2010**

Every time he saw her, Skipper knew that the time was getting closer, but he just couldn't find the strength to directly tell Marlene how much he cared about her. Though he did have deep feelings for her in his heart, just coming out and saying "I love you" or "Hey, Marlene, how about we get together tomorrow night?" seemed awfully unimpressive in his view. Instead, Skipper knew that he had to win her heart through more extraordinary means, though he had never really planned much about what those means might entail.

Always one to want a few plans for everything, however, Skipper soon decided that he would have to come up with a few different scenarios for how he and Marlene could get together so that he could finally confess his feelings to her when the right time presented itself. So he procured a sheet of paper and barrowed one of Kowalski's pencils and sat in the HQ alone as he began writing out several different ways he could stage an event to give him an opportunity to tell Marlene how he felt. He wrote the following as notes to himself:

_1.) THE APOCALYPSE:__ Work with or otherwise provoke the lemurs to go totally wild throughout the zoo. Perhaps consider taking out the zoo power supply as well. This should all cause Julien to revert to his "jungle law" impulses, ensuring maximum chaos. When the condition of the zoo reaches a near-apocalyptic level, use it as an opportunity to rescue Marlene away from this mess and essentially be her knight in shining armor._

_2.) SECRET ADMIRER:__ Send Marlene thoughtful cards and an assortment of fish for a little while without telling her who it is from. Eventually drop hints to suggest it's me and see how long it takes before she realizes who has been sending the items._

_3.) CLASSIFIED:__ I am not at liberty to even write this scenario on paper, but I know what it is about. Reminder: Please confirm my own security clearance before allowing myself to think about this particular scenario again. I am not above my own protocol._

Then, just as he was about to begin writing a fourth possible plan, Marlene entered the HQ.

"Hey, Skipper, what are you working on?" she asked.

"It's classified," Skipper replied as he turned the paper upside down.

He wasn't lying; one of the items really was labeled "CLASSIFIED." Still, Marlene rolled her eyes at Skipper's traditional response.

"Skipper, why must that be your response to everything?" she wondered. "Come on, you can tell me anything."

Suddenly, Marlene's comment caused Skipper to be reminded of something. He chuckled thinking about when he had first seen it done more than a year ago. But it did work for Phil and Lulu – could it work for him and Marlene?

"Just talking," Skipper said quietly. "Maybe it is worth a try."

"What was that, Skipper?" Marlene asked, overhearing.

Skipper then waddled right in front of her.

"Well, I had begun on this series of plans designed to hopefully get you and I closer," he told her. "But now that I think it over, I don't need to set-up some elaborate scheme to show you how I feel, I need only use my words. Marlene, I really like you a lot, and I'd like to offer you my heart in exchange for yours."

Marlene smiled.

"Words are very important," she said as she reached out and hugged Skipper, "but actions speak louder than words."

Skipper smiled back.

"I think I get the message," he said as he wrapped his flippers around Marlene to hug her as well. "How are you hearing these actions?"

"Loud and clear, Skipper," Marlene replied. "Loud and clear."

* * *

**Scenario note:** Although this is one of the shorter scenarios, it was fun to have Skipper essentially making up little set-up scenarios of his own in the story before ultimately opting to speak directly to Marlene instead. I wonder where Skipper got the idea to create his own scenarios – could he be a reader of my project?

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 28, 2010

P.S.: Only two more days left!


	29. Switched

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 29: "Switched"  
****Wednesday, September 29, 2010**

As Kowalski strapped the brainwave monitor encased in a helmet onto Skipper's head, Skipper had a question.

"This isn't going to hurt is it?" Skipper asked. "I don't mind you using me to aid in your research, but I am against anything that's going to cause me any displeasure or weird side effects."

"You won't feel a thing," Kowalski replied as he then moved on to place an identical unit on Marlene's head. "The only thing these head units are going to do is collect data on your brainwaves so that I can compare the differences between bird and mammal reactions to different visual stimuli."

"So you're essentially proving that birds are smarter, right?" Skipper inquired.

Marlene turned to Skipper and looked at him in a way which suggested _"What gives?"_

"And proving that Marlene is the smartest of all mammals, of course," Skipper then added.

"Actually, Skipper, intelligence is not the focus of this study," Kowalski replied. "Just comparing the differences in reactions and understanding why."

Kowalski then waddled a few feet away to the table where his machine which recorded the data from the two head units was located. He sat down on a cinderblock and then flipped the machine on.

"We will now begin the experiment," he said. "Both of your head units are wired to this data recorder in front of me. All I would like each of you to do is to simply look at the image or object I hold up and to try not to think about anything else. It's really quite straightforward and should only take about 10 minutes in total."

Kowalski then reached to his right and held up a small blue cube for Skipper and Marlene to look at.

"Excellent," he said as he looked at the monitor on the data recorder and saw both of his subjects' reactions. "Onward to stimuli number two."

Kowalski then held up a card of which half was purple and the other half green. He placed it down after confirming reactions to it had been recorded, then prepared to pick up the next item. But just as he got it into his flipper, the data recorder began to buzz.

"Is that part of the experiment?" Skipper then asked of the sound.

"Um," Kowalski replied as he tried to figure out the problem himself.

"Kowalski, your machine is smoking!" Marlene then exclaimed as a few puffs of smoke began to come out of the data recorder.

"Yeah, we've got an anomaly all right!" Kowalski declared as he began shutting the recorder down. "Better get those helmets off just to be on the safe side. We don't want any collateral damage to result from–"

But before Kowalski could even finish his sentence, the complete data recorder caught fire and sent an electrical current up the wires connected to the two head units. The shock caused Skipper and Marlene to be thrown across the room.

After quickly blasting out the fire with a fire extinguisher, Kowalski waddled over to Skipper and Marlene, who were OK and beginning to take off their helmets.

"Kowalski, wasn't it you who said 'You won't feel a thing'?" Skipper then asked.

"Yes it was," Kowalski replied. "I'm sorry about that, Marlene."

"Marlene?" Skipper wondered. "I'm the Skipper!"

Kowalski gasped.

"Holy Ben Franklin!" he exclaimed. "Skipper, you're an otter!"

"What?" Skipper yelled as he turned from Kowalski to the other penguin in the room. "So that would make that–"

"Marlene," Marlene said in her normal voice, but from within Skipper's body.

"Kowalski, you made me into a mammal!" Skipper yelled.

"What have you against mammals?" Marlene asked, awkwardly through the beak of a bird.

"Well, for one thing, I want my feathers back," Skipper replied. "Get me out of here now!"

"OK, calm down, Skipper," Kowalski said as he then waddled over to what remained of his contraption. "I'm sure science has an explanation for what went wrong and how to remedy it."

"I would certainly hope so," Marlene said as she struggled to walk and then fell onto the floor. "How do you penguins walk with such short legs?"

"It's called _waddling_," Skipper answered as he reached a paw down to help Marlene up from the floor. "You'll get the hang of it. But I've sure got some questions for you right about now."

Kowalski then came back over to them.

"I think I found the cause," he reported. "There were two causes, actually. The first was using a 20-amp fuse when I should have used a 60-amp one. The second was that I made the mistake of reconstructing the same internal workings I had used inside the colander head units when we switched Rico and Roger's minds into components of your brainwave monitoring helmets."

"So Skipper's brain is now inside of my body?" Marlene asked.

"Technically, no," Kowalski replied. "Your physical brain is still inside of you, but every mental thought making up your personality has been switched to be that of Skipper's. But it has the same effect as if both brains were physically switched, only you don't need to have a medical license to rearrange brains this way."

"Well, have you fixed your contraption yet?" Skipper asked. "I'd really like to get back to being a penguin now."

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news about that," Kowalski replied. "The good news is that I'm sure I can fix the two of you to be your correct species again. The bad news is that it's going to take a day for me to get things ready to do the switch."

"A day?" Skipper exclaimed. "What are Marlene and I going to do while we wait? We just can't go about living like we normally do, because won't the zookeepers and visitors wonder why there's an otter in the penguin habitat and vice versa?"

"Indeed you're right, Skipper," Kowalski replied. "So you two are going to have to pretend to be the other for the next day to avoid any humans from thinking something is up. Skipper, you'll go live in Marlene's habitat and pretend you're an otter, while Marlene will stay at the HQ with us and be our fourth penguin."

Kowalski then turned to Marlene.

"There's this dance and performance routine we do for the humans each day," he said. "You'll have to learn it because you are a penguin for the next 24 hours."

"There's also a certain way to swallow a fish," Skipper added. "I'll teach you how so you don't accidentally choke on one."

"Thanks," Marlene smiled. "And I'll tell you how to do all of my diving and swimming moves so you can really sell yourself as an otter to the visitors."

"Well, while the two of you help each other figure out how to be the _otter_, I've got a lot of work to get started on so I can switch you both back as soon as possible," Kowalski said.

With that, Kowalski left and Skipper and Marlene continued to talk about how to be each other for the next day.

The next morning, when it was time for the penguins' performance in front of the zoo visitors, Marlene joined Kowalski, Rico, and Private in the show. Taught well by Skipper, Marlene did impressively well, so much so that she received the most cheers and applause from the audience out of the whole group.

"Well done, Marlene," Kowalski said as he high-fived her at the end of the show.

"Splendid!" Private remarked.

"Yup," Rico agreed.

Meanwhile, over at the otter habitat, Skipper was doing a good job as well being an otter for a day. The visitors were impressed by his flips and dives. Several, despite the zoo's rule against feeding the animals, proudly defied it by tossing pieces of popcorn to the otter as a reward for an amazing aquatic display.

"I guess being a mammal can have its advantages," Skipper said as he stuffed some popcorn into his mouth.

A short few hours later, Private came by.

"Hey, Skipper, Kowalski is ready to get your and Marlene's minds back in order," he said. "Come on back to the HQ."

"Thanks, Private," Skipper replied as he then left the otter habitat and went back to the HQ with Private.

There, Marlene was already sitting with her helmet on ready to go. Once Kowalski secured the identical unit on Skipper's head, it was time to correct their conditions.

"This will either work flawlessly or make matters far worse by merging your bodies into such an unholy rearrangement that Picasso himself would find it unartful," Kowalski then said. "With that thought to ponder, we will now begin."

Kowalski then turned on the blender that the mind switching machine was attached to and went through its various speeds until he saw the flash he was looking for. He then immediately turned off the blender and waddled over to the penguin he now hoped was Skipper.

"Are you back, sir?" he asked as he removed the penguin's helmet.

"Sure am, soldier!" Skipper replied, now back in penguin form, as he smiled. "Better than ever, I might add."

Kowalski smiled in relief, then went over to Marlene.

"And you must be Marlene," he said as he removed her helmet.

"Yes," she replied. "It's good to be back."

The four penguins and Marlene then began to celebrate the success, with high-fives all around. But after a few moments of celebration, Skipper cleared his throat.

"I'd like to say a little something about this whole situation," he then said. "Marlene, could you come stand in front of me for a moment?"

Marlene then came over to stand in front of Skipper.

"Marlene, having to be an otter – having to be you – for the past day has really made me be able to understand you a lot better," he said. "Thank you for all of your help."

"You're welcome, Skipper," Marlene replied. "Thank you for all of your help, too. I now understand what being a penguin is all about as well."

"Well, I think that this mind switch scenario has also made us closer, both literally and figuratively," Skipper continued. "So close that I feel comfortable doing this in front of everyone."

He then reached out and hugged Marlene.

"I think I somehow found you while I was being you," he said.

Marlene smiled as well and reached out to hug Skipper back.

"Me, too," she said. "Though our minds and bodies are now back the way they should be, I think I still have a bit of you in my heart."

"And you can keep it," Skipper said as he held onto Marlene tighter. "Because I'm keeping the one I have of you."


	30. Operation: GFF

_**A Skilene-Filled September  
**_**Scenario 30: "Operation: GFF"  
****Thursday, September 30, 2010**

As the clock tower by the zoo entrance struck noon, Private turned to Skipper.

"It's odd, don't you think?" he asked, standing out on the penguin habitat's platform with his leader. "We haven't seen Marlene in her habitat all morning, and now it's the beginning of the afternoon."

"Indeed it is strange," Skipper agreed. "Marlene's not one to sleep this late – she's not a hippie. I wonder what's keeping her."

"I hope she's feeling all right," Private continued. "Do you think we ought to go check on her?"

"I think that's our duty, Private," Skipper replied. "Come on, let's go."

With that, Skipper and Private left the penguin habitat and strolled over to Marlene's place to find out what was up.

"Wake up and smell the coffee, Marlene," Skipper called out as he and Private entered her cave. "Marlene? Hello? Anybody home?"

But her home was dark and empty, with no otter in sight.

"Do you suppose she went to visit Julien?" Private then asked. "Or someone else in the zoo?"

"Negative," Skipper replied. "The two of us have been outside since 0530 – we would have seen her leave. And Marlene wouldn't have had a reason to get up and leave any earlier."

"But shouldn't we check around the zoo just to make sure?" Private asked.

"Yes," Skipper replied as he and Private began to head out. "There's got to be an explanation for Marlene's sudden disappearance."

As they were waddling out of Marlene's cave, Private suddenly noticed a piece of paper taped onto a nearby rock, so he pulled it off and read it. He gasped momentarily thereafter.

"Skipper, I think Marlene's been otternapped!" he said in shock as he passed Skipper the note. "Here, read this."

_Hello, pang-gu-wins:_

_How long did it take you flightless fools to find my letter? My guess is that it's just past noon._

_Misplaced something, fellas? An otter, perhaps? Well, she's safe with me. For now._

_But, Skipper, if you ever want to see your GFF again, you'd better get to your television and quick. Tune to Channel 30 – I'll be waiting for you._

_-Doc_

"Blowhole!" Skipper exclaimed with contempt as he then made a fist with a flipper. "The fiend!"

"Skipper, what do we do?" Private asked.

"We find out what that blasted bottlenose wants," Skipper replied as he resumed waddling out. "Come on, soldier."

Within a few short moments, Skipper and Private returned to the penguin habitat and entered the HQ through its fishbowl entrance.

"Skipper, Dr. Blowhole is on our TV!" Kowalski then waddled over to him and said. "I was just about to change the channel away from Private's 'Lunacorns' program and watch something more in line with my intellect when Blowhole came on instead!"

"We know, Kowalski," Skipper replied as he handed Kowalski Dr. Blowhole's note. "That mad marine mammal has got Marlene."

"Sure do," Dr. Blowhole said through the TV upon hearing a reference being made to him through it. "So, Skipper, would you like me to show you your GFF now?"

"Pardon?" Skipper replied as he turned to face the TV screen.

"Marlene, your GFF," Blowhole responded. "Your girlfriend forever."

He then switched from showing himself to a camera showing Marlene confined in a small cage.

"You'll deny it on the surface, of course, but every part of you is in love with that otter," Blowhole continued. "I'm quite the spy; I know just how smitten you are with her. It's pretty cute, really. But I know far more than you think I know; I know that you'd do anything to keep your precious safe. I've got you right where I want you, Skipper, and that's something you can't deny."

"The only thing I'm going to deny is you a victory," Skipper replied. "You dare to hurt just one hair on Marlene's head and I'll pack your blowhole so full of dynamite that it would make Hiroshima look like a tea party."

"Ooh, tough words from someone with very little control in this situation," Blowhole continued. "I'm going to call your bluff. Minions!"

A small group of Dr. Blowhole's lobster minions then came out from the background and surrounded Marlene in her cage. One then took out a pair of tweezers and plucked just one single piece of fur off of her.

"Don't worry, Skipper, I'm sure she'll live," Blowhole then mocked as the image on the TV screen came back to him. "But I'd now like to make my demands. First, I demand that you take me seriously. I've worked far too hard and far too long to become an evil genius to be made a fool of by the likes of you. Second, I demand you bring back to me my plans for solar eradication, which you stole from me. Those consist of my exclusive intellectual property – ever hear of copyright? And third, but definitely not least, I demand that you resign as commander of your pointless brigade."

The image on TV then faded back to Marlene.

"If my demands are met, you can live happily ever after with your love," Blowhole said. "If not, then, we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it, won't we? You have 24 hours."

And with that, the screen went black and there was nothing left to see.

"I'm going to assume you'll be needing some options," Kowalski then waddled over to Skipper and said.

"Not this time, Kowalski," Skipper replied. "The only option here is to comply with Blowhole's demands."

"Skipper, are you sure?" Private then asked. "It's Dr. Blowhole we're talking about here. You can't just do what he tells you – he'll see it as a weakness."

"He's already hit my weakness, Private," Skipper replied as he sniffled. "I can't take a chance when Marlene's safety is at stake. I have to protect her."

The other penguins hated to think about actually allowing Dr. Blowhole's demands to be met, but they respected Skipper far too much to try to get him to reconsider his decision. It was clear to them that Skipper had placed his whole heart behind his decision, and that was more than they needed to give him their full support.

"We're with you, Skipper," Kowalski then said as he patted Skipper on the back with a flipper. "Commander or not, I refuse to take orders from anyone else."

"Me, too, Skipper," Private agreed. "I'm behind you every step of the way."

"Yup," Rico affirmed.

"Thanks, boys," Skipper replied.

Skipper then waddled over to the wall of the HQ opposite the bunks and gave a swift roundhouse kick to one of the bricks which formed it. A keypad shot out from above it, on which Skipper entered an 18-digit code. Once he submitted it, the brick directly above the keypad turned around, revealing a red file folder sealed with tamper-resistant evidence tape with a picture of the sun drawn on it.

"This is it," Skipper said as he removed the folder. "This is the solar-related folder I'll be giving to Blowhole."

"Where is he?" Private then asked. "He only told you that you had 24 hours. He never even bothered to tell you where to meet him."

"He's back at Coney Island again," Kowalski responded. "I could hear the rollercoasters in the background while Blowhole was on TV. Plus, I also heard some kid say 'Mommy, I love Coney Island so much. Thank you for bringing me here.'"

"Ah, good observations, Kowalski," Skipper commented.

Before closing up the location in the wall where the folder was, Skipper pulled four folded sheets of paper out from the area as well and handed them to Rico.

"Rico, please place these papers in safe keeping," he said.

"OK," Rico replied as he then swallowed the papers. "Yum."

Skipper then addressed his men.

"Gentlemen, we now embark on one of our most critical missions," he said. "Dr. Blowhole has Marlene captive, and we're going to go get her back. I'm going to need you three to be my backup when I go to meet with Blowhole, especially you, Rico. Anyway, we don't have time to spare, so let's move out."

With that, the penguins waddled out of the HQ and left the zoo for Blowhole's amusement park hideout. Opting to take the subway this time, they reached it in no time.

"All right, boys, let's move in," Skipper said quietly as the unit was about to enter the deranged dolphin's lair. "Let's try to preserve the element of surprise."

"_Breach of the perimeter! Breach of the perimeter! Breach of the perimeter!"_ Blowhole's security system blared out as the penguins took their first steps inside.

"So much for the element of surprise," Private commented.

Then suddenly, the alarm fell silent. The sound of a Segway-type motorized vehicle could be heard in the distance in its place, slowly getting closer and closer. Soon a dark shadow appeared. Then the laugh. And finally …

"Blowhole!" Skipper stated as the dolphin emerged from the darkness, carrying the caged Marlene with him.

"Pang-gu-wins!" Blowhole replied. "We meet again."

"And it won't be the last time, either," Kowalski declared.

"Quiet, Kowalski," Blowhole stated harshly. "Unless you want me to show you all of my newest gadgets and electronics and make you feel oh so inferior yet again. Don't make me get out my iPad."

The doctor then looked to Skipper.

"Have you brought my evil plans back to me?" he asked. "I've only got so many billion years to blow up the sun before the universe itself beats me to it."

"I've got your folder right here," Skipper replied as he held it up.

"Skipper, don't do it!" Marlene yelled from her cage. "This dolphin is a madman; don't give him anything!"

"And to think that yesterday she didn't even believe I was real," Dr. Blowhole said as he shook Marlene's cage a little. "Isn't it nice that I arranged this little meet and greet?"

"Let her go," Skipper declared.

"First, the folder," Blowhole replied.

Skipper then handed Dr. Blowhole the folder.

"No!" Marlene disagreed.

"There you are, bottlenose," Skipper said. "Now let Marlene go."

"Not so fast, Skipper," Blowhole replied. "Say it."

Skipper looked at Kowalski, Rico, and Private and sighed. He then turned back to Blowhole.

"I hereby resign my position as captain of the Central Park Zoo Penguin Unit," he said. "Are you happy now? Will you let Marlene go, please?"

Dr. Blowhole then looked at Marlene inside of the cage.

"What a shame, we were becoming such great friends, too," he said to her sarcastically, then threw the cage down to the penguins. "Catch."

Skipper and Private caught the cage and placed it on the ground next to them.

"And now I make my triumphant escape," Dr. Blowhole said, clutching his folder, as a bubble came over his motorized transporter and lifted him into the sky. "You pang-gu-wins never had a chance! Ha-ha-hahaa! Ha-ha-hahaa! Ha-ha-hahaa!"

And then he was gone.

The team then immediately turned their attention to Marlene. Rico regurgitated a bolt cutter and cut off the lock on the cage and let Marlene out.

"Oh, I believe! I believe he's real now!" Marlene said, still shaking from what had all happened, as she ran to Skipper and hugged him. "I'm so glad to see you, Skipper. I'm so glad to see all of you."

"I'm glad to see you, too, Marlene," Skipper responded as he reached out to hold onto her. "Everything's going to be OK now."

With Skipper there beside her, Marlene soon calmed down from the nightmare she had just been put through. And after a few minutes of just being there for each other, Marlene thought to ask Skipper a question.

"Is what Blowhole said true?" she asked.

"Blowhole says a lot of things," Skipper replied. "What specifically were you wondering about?"

"Do you really love me?" she asked. "Am I your GFF?"

Skipper smiled.

"If Blowhole wanted to kidnap someone to really pull at my heartstrings, he certainly picked the right one," he replied. "Yes, Marlene. I would do anything for you or anything to protect you because I love you. You are my GFF."

"He even gave back Blowhole's plans to blow up the sun and resigned his position as our unit's leader to protect you, Marlene," Kowalski added. "I've never seen a love so strong."

"You did what?" Marlene asked in shock.

"Actually, Kowalski, I still had a few tricks up my sleeve on that one," Skipper replied. "There are papers inside the folder I gave Blowhole, but they just are plans on how to build an elementary school model of the solar system. And as for me resigning my leadership, well, I had my flippers crossed."

Skipper then motioned for Rico to come over.

"But I sure would have given up both of those things for real to keep you safe, Marlene," he continued, looking next to Rico. "Rico, please give me those folded papers I had you swallow earlier."

Rico promptly hacked them up and gave them to Skipper, who then took them over to show Marlene.

"Now these, Marlene, are the real plans for Dr. Blowhole's sun-destroying abomination," he said as he held them in front of her. "And if I hadn't been successful with my little folder trick, they would be in Blowhole's grasp right now. Even though they are so extremely classified that only those with the highest degree of trust and security clearance can have possession of them."

Skipper then handed the papers to Marlene.

"And I want you to have them," he said. "And this doesn't even begin to represent how deep I feel about you."

Marlene then began to cry and held onto Skipper tightly.

"I love you, Skipper," she said. "I'll always be your GFF."

And she always was.

* * *

**Scenario note:** Wow! This last one was long enough to be its own independent fanfic! But I had long intended to end my project with an epic Blowhole scenario – I hope you liked it.

* * *

**Final Thoughts:**

For the past 30 days, I have written 30 different scenarios for "the moment" that first sparked a relationship between Skipper and Marlene. How the two would get together for "real," and even _if_ they ever do, will be up to the series' creators, of course. However, this has been a fun project for me to work on, and while it took an average of several hours each day to develop unique plotlines and write each scenario, it was still hard for me to move that tiny dot into the little circle by the word "complete" as I published my final installment.

I believe I have accomplished my goal in this project, to come up with 30 different ways that Skipper and Marlene could spark up a relationship. This was mostly accomplished with a decent amount of set-up in each scenario followed by the last 50 to 100 words being the "revelation" portion. Much emphasis had to be on these set-ups, as I couldn't just have one of the characters just all of a sudden blurt out their feelings without reason (though I sort of did just that twice). In general, however, it takes some sort of trigger before the feelings can come out.

It has been a tradition of mine to thank the reviewers of my long-term writing projects (before this, my two drabble projects) at the project's end for their reviews posted during the project's active duration. And so, I would like to take a moment to recognize the 24 individuals who have so far submitted a total of 192 reviews on "A Skilene-Filled September." They are (in order of their first review): **InternetGirl123**, **random reader**, **SkullShovel**, **aSkileneFan**, **jackandjill2**, **Just61331**, , **Sandrei20**, **Music4eva1414**, **Icicle1penguin**, **pooky1402**, **halfhuman123**, **Metallica1147**, **darksidesparkles**, **SkullGrave**, **Kristen**, **Dark Fox's Shadow**, **LoveSkipper**, **skippermarleneCLASSIFIED**, **Beastial Moon**, **LittleBlue33**, **KingJulien4Ever**, **horsexloverx**, and** perrylover14**. While I always appreciate every reader, I especially appreciate these 24 who have taken the time to comment on my work, many on multiple occasions.

And on that note, I officially draw "A Skilene-Filled September" to a close. I hope you've enjoyed spending this past month reading my Skilene scenarios as much as I did writing them. Have a happy October!

-_GrandOldPenguin  
_September 30, 2010


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